MTN has suspended unregistered subscribers using its mobile network in Cameroon, a month after it agreed to pay a $1.7 billion fine in Nigeria over a similar issue.
The move comes after the operator held a national identification campaign between 11 April and 30 June this year, in an effort to comply with a governmental decree set last September.
The decree requires identification modalities for subscribers and terminal equipment for electronic mobile networks, and according to reports, those that did not comply during the period, or confirm their identification, have now been suspended.
To regain access, MTN Cameroon will allow subscribers to complete the process via MTN service centres across the country, in special identification centres, or at sales points of MTN’s distribution partners across all regions.
If this is done, the suspension will be lifted within 24 hours, and if not, the non-compliant number will be lost after a certain timeframe.
MTN Cameroon CEO Philisiwe Sibiya said the company is “leaving no stone unturned” as it attempts to fully comply with subscriber identification regulations.
“MTN is a responsible corporate citizen conscious of the risks associated with unregistered SIMs, especially at this time of heightened insecurity,” she said. “Subscriber identification is a permanent task and every MTN customer is important to us.”
After failing to unregister personal details of some 5.1 million subscribers last year, Nigerian regulators ordered the company to pay an initial $5.2 billion in fines.
It finally reached a settlement over the issue last month, settling on a reduced $1.7 billion hit.
Earlier this year, MTN Cameroon also came under fire by the country’s regulators for corruption related actions, which it strongly denied. – MoblieWorldLive
