South Africa’s biggest mobile operators will not support Icasa’s proposed biometric Sim checks and five-number limit in their current form, their industry body said on Friday.
The Association of Comms & Technology (ACT) represents Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, Cell C, Rain and Liquid Intelligent Technologies. It warned that the draft rules overlap with Rica, the existing Sim registration law. It also said they could disrupt the industry’s own clean-up of the Sim market.
“We would distinguish between supporting the objectives of the proposed regulations and endorsing the specific measures in their current form,” ACT CEO Nomvuyiso Batyi said in a written response to questions from TechCentral.
ACT said it supports the goal of stronger Sim registration. But Batyi said the regulator’s plan and the industry’s plan are not the same.
“There are material differences between Icasa’s proposals and the framework developed by industry, particularly regarding Sim registration limits, biometric verification requirements and the practical arrangements for implementation,” she said.
Batyi said the five-number limit “warrants careful consideration, particularly in light of South Africa’s socioeconomic circumstances and the legitimate reasons consumers and businesses may require multiple Sim cards”. Icasa’s draft exempts companies from the biometric checks, but it does not exempt them from the cap.
ACT also objected to the speed of the changes. Icasa amended the same regulations in July, when it set rules for how operators deactivate dormant Sims.
“Introducing further substantive obligations within such a short period raises questions regarding regulatory predictability, policy coherence and the cumulative compliance burden imposed on licensees,” Batyi said.
TechCentral reported that the deeper dispute is about which law should govern Sim registration. Section 40 of Rica covers this, and the department of justice and constitutional development is the custodian of that act. Icasa is instead relying on its power to regulate numbering resources.
Icasa’s explanatory memorandum says its verification requirement is “distinct from” Sim registration under Rica. The regulator told parliament last year that it wanted the administration of Rica moved from the justice department to itself.
The operators have their own plan. In June, ACT announced an interim framework of stronger identity verification, tighter registration controls and greater oversight of Sim distribution channels. It also sent the justice department proposals to reform section 40.
Wider use of biometric checks at registration points was among the solutions the industry discussed. Batyi said in October last year that Rica amendments kept stalling. “Every time it is updated and sent up the chain, it is turned back,” she said at the time.
ACT said it had engaged the Competition Commission and the justice department over the past two years. “We are also currently in the process of reaching out to the department of home affairs to align verification technical standards. This work has progressed to the technical development stage,” Batyi said.
Icasa’s memorandum says most operators told the regulator last year that they had rolled out biometric verification only for contract customers, not prepaid customers.
ACT said it would make formal representations to Icasa. Interested parties have 30 working days from 28 October to comment on the draft regulations.
Source: this article is based on reporting by TechCentral. Image: TechCentral. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Technology desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Werner Jacobs covers technology for Tzaneen Voice. Werner reports on mobile networks, data prices, internet access, smartphones, apps, AI, cybersecurity and South African tech companies. Each story explains what a new product, price change or policy means for ordinary users in South Africa.