Read time: 3 minutes

Kenyan telcos disconnect 600 000 SIM cards

Kenya , 27 Sep 2018

Kenyan telcos disconnect 600 000 SIM cards

Operators in Kenya have disconnected 598,507 SIM cards that do not have complete user registration details in line with a directive issued by Kenya's Communications Authority (CA).

According to the regulator and regional media reports, Airtel blocked 584,134 lines and Telkom blocked 14,373 within a seven-day period, as per the directive.

Safaricom has claimed all 30 million active lines on its network have user identification details.

The CA warned that any operator with active SIM cards that do not have user details will be sanctioned with a fine of up to 0.2% of their annual sales.

Local industry experts told ITWeb Africa that the majority of problematic SIM cards were sourced from hawkers who do not have the appropriate permits to sell the lines.

Francis Wangusi, CA Director General, said, "I wish to once again remind all Kenyans hawking SIM cards is an offence that attracts a fine of up to Ksh.500,000 or twelve months imprisonment or both."

In January 2018, the CA fined Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom over US$3 million for poor quality of service.

In early September 2018, ITWeb Africa reported that the CA implemented a Quality of Service Monitoring System (QSMS) to track and evaluate the quality of telecommunications services.

Wangusi said the regulator will conduct a fresh audit in November 2018 to evaluate the veracity of statements made by each telecom operator regarding the disconnection of SIM cards.

Daily newsletter