Ho, Oct. 22, GNA - The National Communication Authority (NCA) has reiterated that the registration of mobile phone Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards currently in progress is free.

The Authority said it is therefore illegal for agents of mobile telecom operators to demand fees under any form of guise. Mr John Benyarku Essamuah, Deputy Manager, Customer and Corporate Affairs of NCA said this at a phone chip registration and identification seminar in Ho on Thursday for field workers of the Information Services Department (ISD) in the Volta Region. He said it was also a gross anomaly for these agents to register SIM cards based on data received on phone, without seeing the client. Current reports on the registration exercise indicate that such a situation exists in certain parts of the country. Under the NCA policy, unregistered SIM Cards by June 30, next year would be blocked.

Mr Essamuah stressed that the exercise is an important national documentation that posed no threat to individual liberties. He said all data used in registering the SIM Cards would be verified and spurious information would be cancelled. He urged mobile phone operators to open up more registration centres to enable subscribers to reach them. Mr Essamuah also urged subscribers to see the exercise as a civic responsibility.

He said in the nearest future, mobile phones would also be registered.

On co-location of telecom masts, he said, the NCA had reached agreement with the telecom operators. Mr Essamuah said staff of ISD would now support the exercise by educating the public nationwide. Mr Bennet Dzogbelu, Regional Information Officer tasked his officers to get to work to fill the information vacuum on the exercise with credible messages before wrong information took hold of the people.