40 Per Cent Of SIMs in PNG Still Not Registered, Says NICTA

PNG Minister for Communication, Information Technology and Energy Sam Basil stated the reasons to further extend the deadline was to allow NICTA and PNG Council of Churches to forge the partnership to reach SIM card and mobile phone holders in remote areas for mobile operators to reach out registering both in rural and urban centres.

And, yet again, disappointed NICTA CEO Charles Punaha has said despite more than enough time of two years since it started the SIM card registration process has gone with the difference still huge.

“Again I must express our disappointment from NICTA and the operators that we still have a lot of SIM cards that are not registered.”

“For your information as of last Friday Digicel PNG has only registered 54 per cent and yet to be registered 46 per cent of their subscribers.”

“For Telikom PNG they have only registered 54 per cent yet to register 46 per cent. Bmobile-Vodafone they have registered 75 per cent and they are yet to register 25 per cent,” Mr Punaha said.

He said those SIM cards that are yet to be deactivated, subscribers will have 30 days which is in line with the number cycle period for them to come forward and get themselves registered for them to retain the same number after today.

“If they don’t come back and get themselves within the 30 day period then their number will obviously be recycled and they have to get a new number.”

He noted disappointment that Port Moresby had only 58 per cent of its SIM card numbers used registered.

“There is no reason why subscribers who are located in main centres should not have registered their SIMs.”

“We acknowledge the large amounts of money that the operators are spending in undertaking public awareness in the media.”

“Despite this still people are not coming forward and we’ll now proceed with deactivation of the subscribers located in the main centres.”

According to previous NICTA reports of the 2.8 million mobile SIM subscribers, Digicel has an estimated 2.6 million, Telikom PNG 72,000, and Bmobile-Vodafone 156,000.
Around 40 per cent of all 2.8 million SIM cards circulated around Papua New GUinea are still not registered despite an additional extension made in May by Government.

Read more : PNG Technology site : PNG eHow