Mobile operators asked to provide rural subscribers’ numbers

THE National Information Communications Technology Authority (Nicta) has requested mobile network operators to provide the number of subscribers in rural areas who are yet to register their Sim cards.
Chief executive Charles Punaha told The National yesterday that he met representatives of the mobile network operators and relayed the request.
The subscriber identification module (Sim) card registration deadline is July 31.
“We are fully aware of the issues that the subscribers are faced with especially those based in the rural areas,” Punaha said.
“Those are the ones we are mostly concerned with.”
He said some people in rural areas had not registered their Sim cards because of where they lived, or that they did not have proper identification.
Their Sim cards will be deactivated after July 31.
“Once we get the statistics of the subscribers in the rural areas who have not registered, we will then discuss how to address the issue,” Punaha said.
“In the meantime, mobile operators have already commenced call-barring.
“They are disconnecting subscribers.
“Call barring is temporarily disconnecting the numbers so that those subscribers will not be able to receive and make calls.
“Subscribers experiencing this will have to go to their nearest mobile service provider centre to check the status of their Sim cards and get it registered.”
Digicel PNG senior vice-president Lorna McPherson confirmed with The National that they had started temporarily disconnecting subscribers.
She said Digicel usually met with Nicta on a regular basis.
Information Communication Technology Minister Timothy Masiu told The National last month that Nicta would proceed with the deactivation of unregistered mobile Sim cards from July 31.