The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) says it has already switched off some three million sim cards and will disconnect 15 million more by the end of January because their owners are yet to register them via the biometric system.
The regulator reiterated it will also take to task those who would use their National Identification Numbers (NINs) to register Sim cards for other people.
The government had scheduled registration of Sim cards last year starting on May 1, 2019, with a deadline of December 31, 2019. However, on December 27, 2019, President John Magufuli extended the deadline by 20 days.
TCRA’s statistics show that there are more than 48.8 million active Sim cards in the country. But by January 19, 2020, only a total of 28.4 million Sim cards had been registered using the new system.
The TCRA then announced that it would switch off the Sim cards in phases.
