Zambia has announced plans to implement biometric SIM card registration to minimise fraud from January 2020, reports ITWeb. The Corporate Communications Manager of the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) Edward Mulenga said that all mobile network operators would have to comply with the new biometric standards, conduct frequent interval verification exercises to guarantee the accuracy of SIM database and provide the authority with a report of all de-registered SIM cards.
MNOs have been instructed to relay to ZICTA the total number of customers who have more than ten registered MSISDNs under the same ID card, Mulenga added. He confirmed that there had been a meeting held between ZICTA and MNOs in May during which the new rules were explained and agreed upon.
Mulenga said that the authority would place obligations on the seller of Sim cards, including the use of ID cards for ease of identification. Failure to adhere to the rules would attract punitive penalties within the law. He added that MNOs were also expected to send an updated dealers register to the authority along with a report on the agents responsible for any incorrect registrations and fraudulent activities.
