Africa faces significant challenges with SIM card registration as telco operators strive to comply with increasingly stringent government regulations. Ensuring that every mobile user is properly registered is crucial for national security, but the process often clashes with issues of accessibility and privacy.
In an interview with Robert van Breukelen, CEO of Itemate Solutions, NewsTrendsKE explored the innovative solutions being deployed to streamline this complex process and enhance both compliance and customer experience.
1. What innovative solutions are telco operators exploring to address SIM card registration challenges in Africa?
As competition amongst telcos increases, telcos need to get their SIM cards into more customers phones. At the same time government regulations regarding registration of customers are becoming stricter and telcos are fined significant amounts for not meeting the requirements. Telcos are therefore needing to introduce solutions that facilitate the registration process as simply as possible.
The use of apps which enable field-agents to register customers they have sold SIM cards to or even for customers to register themselves is gaining traction. Users (agents or customers) can upload the necessary documentation and other regulatory requirements such as taking a “selfie” to the app. The app is integrated to the government system and the documentation is verified registering the customer.
Agents, in store or field, can register customers who use feature phones. Customers with smartphones can register themselves within a specified period, otherwise their SIM is disabled.
This can be achieved by leveraging the expertise of partners such as Itemate Solutions, which has the ability to assist them in initially complying with government KYC regulations and the safe management of SIM card registration.
2. How do governments balance the need for SIM card registration with citizens’ privacy concerns?
Ensuring the registration of SIM cards is crucial for national security. Phones or numbers/MSISDN are used for fraudulent, criminal and terrorist activities. Governments and law- enforcement agencies need to have access to the details of a person linked to a MSISDN suspected of such activities.
At the same time, customers are concerned about their privacy and this is understandable. However, governments are not using this information to listen in on calls or SMSs and customers need to be reassured that it is for the benefit of all that registrations are done.
The fact is numbers belong to the government regulator. Numbers are allocated to mobile operators and the numbers are “leased” to customers for the duration of their contract. These contracts could be renewed for years and numbers can be ported to other telcos, but at the end of the day the regulator needs to know who is leasing each of their numbers.
I compare this to a car license plate. My car license is linked to my profile as the owner of the car. If I’m a law-abiding citizen, I have nothing to worry about. If I speed or my vehicle is used in a crime, law-enforcement knows who I am and where to find me.
3. How does SIM card registration impact exclusion and surveillance in African countries?
There is good reason for the strengthening of regulations by government authorities. Mobile phones are the primary communication tool for most of Africa’s 1.3 billion citizens. Ensuring that governments can identify mobile numbers and find the owner of a specific number – for example, as part of investigations by the local authorities – is an important aspect of national security.
From an exclusion point of view, methods of registration need to take into account Africa’s diverse population, ranging from 5G enabled metros to sparsely populated rural areas with limited to no internet connectivity. Again, field agents making use of apps to register customers in rural areas addresses the connectivity issues in these areas.
4. How can telcos improve Know Your Customer (KYC) processes to streamline SIM registration?
By drawing on the expertise of software and systems integration partners such as Itemate Solutions. The telco sector can more quickly establish the capabilities that would allow it to comply with government KYC regulations, all the while delivering a positive customer experience. It’s all about digital transformation – the ability to understand your customer and adapt to their needs to drive progress.
5. What role can technology play in simplifying SIM card registration for users waiting for government-issued IDs?
This is a difficult one. What we are finding is that in some countries there is a backlog of IDs, while telcos are issuing SIMs at a rapid rate. Telcos are then sending details of users who have not completed the full registration due to not having an ID to the government agencies.
As IDs are issued the government agency notified the telco that the user now has an ID and is required to complete the full registration process.
If there was an integration between the telco and government agency this process would be a lot more efficient.
6. Finally, what’s better, physical SIM or E-SIMs, and why?
eSIMs have many advantages over physical SIM such as:
· No plastic SIMs and packaging
· No logistics and shipping of physical items
· Security benefits
· Smaller devices as SIM slots are not required
· Ease of installation
· Travel
However, physical SIM are not going anywhere in a hurry. While eSIM enabled phones are becoming more and more affordable they are still too expensive for many customers. Particularly in developing markets, many existing customers will continue to use feature phones and even smart phones with physical SIMs for at least the next 10 years if not longer by my estimates.
