SIM card deactivation: Affected persons have the opportunity to re-register – Ken Ashigbey

Mobile users whose SIM cards have been deactivated still have the opportunity to have their SIMs registered and all services restored.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Telecommunications, Dr Ken Ashigbey, the initial directives that were given to the telcos was to block and delink the numbers of those who have not registered their SIM cards.

He, however, says there has been a change and that the affected persons have been given another opportunity to complete the registration procedure.

JoyNews/AdomNews · Sim card deactivation: affected persons have the opportunity to re-register – Ken Ashigbey

“Through the magnanimity of the NCA, what is going to happen now is that they will block [the SIM cards]. So when we block, now all the fraudsters and all of that will not have access again. But then you have the opportunity, so you can’t do a call, you can’t send a text message, you can’t do data, you can’t do your mobile money.

“But you have the opportunity to be able to dial *404# to be able to register when you get your Ghana card. You will also be able to check whether I registered, so the 400 would also be working. So now when you go back with your Ghana Card, you can restore your number with all the history that is behind it,” Dr Ashigbey explained.

He further gave the assurance that persons whose mobile money accounts have been deactivated will be able to have access once they are able to restore their network service.

Dr Ashigbey added that for those who are unable to have their telecommunication services restored, provisions have been made to safeguard their monies.

“If you don’t restore, what is going to happen is that the Bank of Ghana has asked the EMIs who operate mobile money to put the money in an account aside so that with the right evidence, you’ll be able to go and get it.

However, he cautioned that the National Communications Authority has not provided a timeline for the retrieval of the mobile money account, so if the affected parties fail to take advantage of this opportunity, they will lose access to their mobile money account if the NCA decides to delink the numbers.

Dr Ashigbey indicated that in that situation, the only way the affected parties could have access to their mobile money account is to re-register with their Ghana Cards.

He also cautioned that “If the NCA decides that this window they’ve given, after a week, they’re going to stop it, what is going to happen is that it will block you forever. You will not have your number.”

The CEO of the Chambers of Telecommunications, therefore advised people whose SIM cards have been deactivated to take advantage of the period and register their SIM cards as soon as possible.

Dr Ashigbey also urged people who have issues with their SIMs to report it to the NCA so that they could be resolved.