Kenyan mobile communication service providers have delayed disconnecting unregistered SIM cards in an attempt to offer users an opportunity to still register
According to a report on The Star, unregistered users who have been disconnected could also reclaim their numbers by registering with an authorised dealer.
The Star report revealed that the Communications Commission of Kenya has said that more than 6.3mn unregistered SIM cards were still in operation and services were still being accessed.
The daily also reported that Safaricom, a dominant player within Kenya’s local mobile communications space, declared that it had already switched off 800,000 unregistered SIM cards.
Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore said, “We have been doing our best to update the electronic records after the last minute rush that saw a huge number of customers register their SIMs between the 31 December 2012 and 6 January 2013.
“We are refining the switch off process and it will continue into the weekend and those affected by the blocking will be unable to make calls or utilise any of our services until their SIM cards are registered.”
The company has also reported to have registered more than 80 per cent of its subscriber base.
Meanwhile, Telkom Orange stated last week that it had switched off 100,000 unregistered SIM cards from the company’s 1.27mn unregistered subscribers.
