Zambia Information and Technology Authority has maintained that mobile phone users have no option but to register their simcards.
Acting manager for consumer protection Edgar Mulauzi says registration of simcards is law.
Mr. Mulauzi was speaking at a media briefing at Southern Sun Hotel in Lusaka.
He has noted that the sim registration is not unique to Zambia alone because 52 countries in Africa have done so.
Mr. Mulauzi has further said the idea to register simcards is aimed at enhancing relationships between users of mobile phones and their provider and also help enhance national security.
The simcards that have been registered would be easily traced in case of theft of mobile phones.
Mr. Mulauzi has noted that those simcards that will not be registered at the deadline to be announced will cease to be functional.
There is no guarantee that once dismissed that the simcard will be allocated the same number.
He has called on mobile phone subscribers to ensure that they register their simcards as one way of supporting government programmes that are being implemented.
ZNBC
What are thd benefits explain in simple terms.
dude there are no benefits, this is stupid! They will listening to everyone now, including my phone sex!!!!, if you have a Chinese phone you should be worried.
This is sad indeed, these Guys will be listening to my 4ne s£x now, no political talk on 4ne?? this registration is politically driven, no benefits for an ordinary Zambian. In fact my Chinese 4nes will stop working, poor me!!!!!!!
Benefits: 1 tracing criminals. 2 promoting accountability, no hiding from what you do, no pretending not to be your self. 3 you can be helped traced you lost phone, 3 prevent petty thefts, 4 prevent cyber crimes, 5 catch up with terrorism. 6 curd drug trafficking, etc. Do you now understand? Seems so many are to daft to understand the negative effects of mobile phone technology. In so far as you enjoy using cell phone other terrible people are busy using technology to peddle sad events. eg cellphone have been used to detonate bomb by extrimists or for money laundering, or for mass misinformation spreading bad news to disturb communities.
That’s the way to go PF. Even here in the Western World, its the same thing. You can never buy a phone without having your SIM registered. Whether on pay as you go, or a plan, your Sim must still be registered. So those opposition PMs through their under who are against that, they are just trying to gain a political mileage which they will not win. Almost all the Countries have done it and there has never been problems attached to that. Its only upnd under their under 5who are against.
we don’t need this. Its political propaganda, they want to silence everyone now. I support some of PF’s policies over other parties, but to be honest this is full [email protected]!!!
Thats not true I acn buy a prepaid sim card without registering here and no questions asked
In dictatorship there are no choices. tiye, tiye
Kekekee
“The simcards that have been registered would be easily traced in case of theft of mobile phones”..do you really need to register for this reason? This is a lame reason..are thieves in Zambia that ignorant that they continue using a stolen mobile phone with the original SIM Card still intact.
Why don’t we ask Edgar how they will trace the phone and how they will eventually recover it?? These guys are not earning their money..how can they get away with issuing such false statements!!lol
Wake up people!!
we don’t register phones,but simcards,how can you trace the phones,when the sim is removed? Be smart in your talking.
this is useless, whatever you are saying isn’t justifying the reasons for the registration. For the first time now, I will agree with what some opposition leaders are saying. This is the advent of dictatorship!
Am so sick and tired of some of you air-heads. If you still don’t get what this means and choose NOT to regsiter your SIM card, the loss is your. The benefits and/or reasons for doing this have been spelt out to you in every possible way by many bloggers here since this was first annouced.
In any case, this is mandatory anyway so…WTF are you going to do? Your phone line will simply cease to work if you don’t register your SIM. It’s that damn simple.
Now get off your lazy @ss and go and register your freaking SIM.
Sh!t.
#5, if your phone is stolen or you lose it by accident, SIM registration not only prevents the person in possession of your phone to use it, it can also help in tracking down its location. The cell towers that you SIM cards uses whenever you dail or receive a call on your number can pinpoint your exact location. So, this is not just a benefit to you but also to the phone cell phone company with whom you have an agreement with. No. SIM registration does not protect the (phone) actual device per say So, if someone removes the SIM ofcourse, there’s no way you’ll be able track your phone. But then in most countries, you may buy phone insuarance especially if its an expensive phone, i.e iphone or blackberry to cover for loss of use. Use your common sense here.
Thanks.
this is good…people just register your sim cards it is for security purposes.
PF have foools as administrators at Zicta what nonsense is that, you don’t catch a cellphone thief from SIM cards but u use the phone IME code and trace signal of originarite that’s how u trace phone not this crap u are trying to use as justification for sim registration
SIM Registration enhances Security in a Country, one piece of information that will give away people is NRC number. Home Affairs has an Automated NRC system meaning once they punch your NRC the individuals details will show up. Remember that only someone with an NRC can Register and Vote so the Home Affairs system will be connected to the ECZ system which has your actual House number information. Your passport has NRC, Hospital and Utility Companies. ladies and gentlemen its a good idea but it will be abused by PF enhancing Public Order Act.
Poor Zambian’s, this country is going down indeed. This is foolish, they already record our calls now they want us to provide even confidential details of where we live, date of birth, pictures???what for????????????? !!!
I do not get it! Why GRZ is involved in forcing people to register their SIM cards? This should be between the mobile service providers and their clients. Who will be using all this information and how will the people know they are not being targeted by GRZ or thieves?
If this is being done for national security then there is no sense at all. What are you going to do with international mobile phones? Cause people from other Countries are able to use their phones in Zambia and if they are planning anything sinister you won’t even pick on that.
I hope they are not making people pay for it and if so; Who is benefiting from all this?
Enough talking just implement the damn thing, start with morons in the opposition.
This is good, Zambia is finally catching up with the real world, what’s the fuss all about? that’s how we live in the developed world! Welcome Zambia.
I support the idea to register the SIMcard. To recover the phone it is possible because every cell phone has its own IMEI number, through this way it can work.
Next is NRC to remove the names of a village and a chief for those who live in town permanent. To be replaced name of the compound or township and the name of the road and house N°. I hope GRZ will look into it soon. One of more jobs creation
Does one with a roaming number need to register in zambia?
Umupondo thinks he knows a lot of things meanwhile he is just an airhead, dunderhead. the sooner you stop reading his posts, the better.
Why not just start using cell phones without sim cards?
The process is pathetic and time consuming and only those who have nothing to do can go and line up in the ques to register I will not register they should follow me at my place to have it registered or else let them block it, I have one which is registered and the other two I will not until they follow me.
sim card registration will actually help recover expensive stolen phones not those for 60 pin. For example when my phone is stolen when another sim is inserted my wifes phone will ring indicating the phone number of the person who has stolen the phone. All i need to do is simply go to the service provider of that number and the police of course. i have programmed my wifes phone to trace my phone once it is stolen. So the move to register sims is most welcome,actually long overdue.
Ba bishop u are leaving in ancient times my bro most phones now have an activated find my phone service immediately you put a sim in a stolen phone a GPS locator via your email will be sent and you can just click that button via google earth you will see the street and building where the thief is
WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE TO POLITICIZE EVERYTHING? SOMETIMES IT JUST SHOWS HOW IGNORANT PEOPLE CAN BE. THERE IS NOTHING DICTATORIAL ABOUT SIM REGISTRATION. GO TO SOUTH AFRICA AND SEE IF YOU CAN JUST GO BUY A SIM AND JUST START USING IT IF IT HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED.
I WORK IN NORTH AFRICA IN CHAD AND EVEN HERE THERE IS SIM REGISTRATION. WAKE UP AND STOP CONDEMNING EVERYTHING THE GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO DO. I DO NOT SUPPORT SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH THEY DO THINGS BUT PLEASE DO NOT JUST DISCREDIT EVERYTHING.
And all of this is to help us track stolen phones? Uh-huh……. well, I guess if people believed the line about 90-days they could be d’umb enough to swallow this one too.
Honestly, when the phone companies can’t even answer a simple customer service question or bother to call you back with the answer after five people promise to, does anyone here really believe these people have the time, resources, or capacity to “pinpoint” each and every stolen phone, and ……even more incredibly…. that Zambia Police will somehow immediately dispatch officers to recover the device before it moves to a new location.
Bwahahahahaha. Please, give us a break!
(Never mind if ZP can work miracles like this, why can’t they keep order at a public rally?)
And another thing….
People talk too much about what other countries do. Better to concentrate on what is right for Zambia and to guard our freedoms jealously.
The line so many (cadres?) have put forward about needing to follow what other countries do is nothing but a matter of convenience. In addition to SIM registration, for example, South Africa allows homosexuality. How many of the people singing about doing what other countries do would like to follow South Africa there? Better we hear some real reasons for registering our phones including details of safeguards to protect our privacy.
#22 thanx for the additional information. I have learnt something latest which is to our advantage all of us. These are the benefits of sim card registration. All those against i am sure are dealing in stolen phones and they have realised that their businesses are doomed. Once again thanx ba octopus.
#18. I thought I told you not to stalk me? You’re quite creepy but I appreciate the publicity you’re giving me. Right on!
This is Absolute Nonsense! For starters, Phone Service Providers have had their telecom systems compromised by hackers who have been sending scam texts/calls to subscribers. Everyone knows this has been happening for quite some time in Zambia. ZICTA is well aware about these issues and i have not heard anyone of these services providers being summoned before an enquiry to answer questions as to why this has been happening despite complaints being made to the consumer protection etc (whatever they are called).It is also very clear that ZICTA has no capacity or the technology it should possess whatsoever to carryout security system checks before details are captured to phone databases. This can clearly be seen by its personnel who have no idea how technology really works..cont..
..cont..to have a ZICTA official give a reason as above >> “simcards that have been registered would be easily traced in case of theft of mobile phones”<< is absolute Rubbish. ZICTA is basically acting on instruction of illiterate GRZ to have Service providers capture personal details of its subscribers other than claiming it is “in the interest of National security”. With the rate of corruption in Zambia, it is very easy for one to have their call ID feature activated without going through the correct procedure/No paperwork at all, same as in this case, it will be possible for people to have fake details registered etc etc. In my opinion, it appears the Ruth Mbandu Murder case is one of the main “excuses” for this but one thing I can point out here is that …cont..
..cont..GET READY FOR SERIOUS IDENTITY THEFT AND FRAUD! WE ARE QUICK TO DECISIONS WITHOUT WEIGHING THE CONSEQUECES THAT FOLLOW.WHAT ASSURANCE DO WE HAVE THAT OUR PERSONAL INFORMATION IS SAFE?HACKERS WILL EVEN BE MORE EXCITED NOW THAT PERSONAL DETAILS WILL BE LINKED TO YOUR MOBILE NUMBERS! MWANYA!
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