In short
Uganda has more than 22 million mobile telephone subscribers, according to a recent study by Uganda Communications Commission. Majority of them are split between MTN and Airtel Uganda.
Over 11 million Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) Cards have been validated over the last six days as Ugandans rushed to beat the initial deadline set by the Uganda Commissions Communications.
The directive, issued last week, seeks to synchronize information in the National data bank, with mobile phone subscription in the country. The validation can be done online by pressing *197#. However, only persons with National Identification Numbers etched on their National Identity cards are able to have their simcards validated within the specified period. The number 14-digit number is unique for every individual.
UCC Executive Director Godfrey Mutabazi had initially announced that all simcards that would not be validated by tomorrow April 20 were to be deactivated. He said the process will be used to eliminate all non-registered, partially registered, pre-activated SIM Cards and multiple registrations of simcards by an individual.
Uganda has more than 22 million mobile telephone subscribers, according to a recent study by Uganda Communications Commission. Majority of them are split between MTN and Airtel Uganda.
Fred Otunnu, UCC's Cooperate affairs Director says that of these, only 11 million sim cards have been validated, representing almost 50 percent of the total subscription in the country. Otunnu was speaking to journalists shortly after a meeting with the Human rights committee of parliament.
His comments came shortly before the validation exercise was extended to May 19 following a directive by the Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda. Earlier, millions of Ugandans were lining up at district offices across the country in an effort to secure national IDs that had not been collected. According to more than 1.5 million Identity Cards had not been collected.
Otunnu however appealed to citizens who have not verified their registration status using their national ID to do so as Government will not accept unverified Sim cards.
//Cue in: "This process is…
Cue out:…deadline of tomorrow"//
Otunnu was appearing before the committee on human rights to answer on issues of broadcast of adult content, but was tasked by committee members to explain why UCC was limiting the time for validation of sim cards.
Otunnu stated that Ugandans had on several occasions failed to honor deadlines specially those issued over lengthy periods.
The directive, issued last week, seeks to synchronize information in the National data bank, with mobile phone subscription in the country. The validation can be done online by pressing *197#. However, only persons with National Identification Numbers etched on their National Identity cards are able to have their simcards validated within the specified period. The number 14-digit number is unique for every individual.
UCC Executive Director Godfrey Mutabazi had initially announced that all simcards that would not be validated by tomorrow April 20 were to be deactivated. He said the process will be used to eliminate all non-registered, partially registered, pre-activated SIM Cards and multiple registrations of simcards by an individual.
Uganda has more than 22 million mobile telephone subscribers, according to a recent study by Uganda Communications Commission. Majority of them are split between MTN and Airtel Uganda.
Fred Otunnu, UCC's Cooperate affairs Director says that of these, only 11 million sim cards have been validated, representing almost 50 percent of the total subscription in the country. Otunnu was speaking to journalists shortly after a meeting with the Human rights committee of parliament.
His comments came shortly before the validation exercise was extended to May 19 following a directive by the Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda. Earlier, millions of Ugandans were lining up at district offices across the country in an effort to secure national IDs that had not been collected. According to more than 1.5 million Identity Cards had not been collected.
Otunnu however appealed to citizens who have not verified their registration status using their national ID to do so as Government will not accept unverified Sim cards.
//Cue in: "This process is…
Cue out:…deadline of tomorrow"//
Otunnu was appearing before the committee on human rights to answer on issues of broadcast of adult content, but was tasked by committee members to explain why UCC was limiting the time for validation of sim cards.
Otunnu stated that Ugandans had on several occasions failed to honor deadlines specially those issued over lengthy periods.
