Telecom regulator Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) could soon implement a system that would require the same owner for mobile phones and SIM card. The authority’s joint spokesman Achyutananda Mishra teased such a provision at an event recently which could play a vital role to strengthen user security.
Lately, people have been alarmed at the idea of their SIM cards having been registered in their own name. While Nta and telcos have always encouraged users to use SIM cards in their own name only, the idea of MDMS has spurned it further. Lately, Nta Assistant spokesman Mishra weighed in on the idea again. He pointed to the idea of tieing up the KYC system for sim cards and MDMS for mobile phones for higher user security. It would be possible when both the Mobile phone and SIM card owner are the same person.
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- Ntc requests customers to use SIM cards registered in their own name to be safe digitally
- NTA requests users to use SIM cards registered in their own name
Mr. Mishra was speaking at an event organized by mobile distributors. At the event, he said that the same user having both SIM cards and mobile phones in his/her name would help control grey phones and theft.
He said, “While speaking at an event of mobile distributors, I mentioned it as a possible way to control illegal mobiles. I expressed the idea we could have a system that needs a mobile phone and the SIM card to be registered in the same person’s name.”
Check out: Nepal Mobile Distributors Association Urges MDMS implementation in Nepal
Not an immediate concern
But many have understood that the regulator could discontinue services if the SIM card is not their name. The spokesman made it clear that the regulator is in no plans to implement the same user’s SIM and mobile phone registration as yet. It could come as a relief to those who felt they would come under scrutiny for not having their SIM in their own name.
He also said that Nta hasn’t made any official progress regarding such a provision and there’s no such indication that it would start from a fixed date. So for now, you don’t need to worry if you are not the same owner of both your SIM card and your phone. But we highly recommend that you reregister SIM cards in your own name. Find out: How To Check the Registration name of your SIM card?
Nta MDMS is also on hold from its full version implementation after the PM’s directive.
