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| Chief Executive Officer of National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) Charles Punaha |
By FIDELIS SUKINA
Compulsory simcard registration will now be in place shortly
to help in the efforts to counter cybercrime in Papua New Guinea.
Speaking at the launch of PNG’s cybercrime policy on
Thursday Chief Executive Officer of National Information and Communications
Technology Authority (NICTA) Charles Punaha said compulsory simcard
registration would come into effect in
the next two weeks.
“Since we introduced open competition in the Market in 2007
we have seen a big increase in subscribers in mobile services, we did not put
in place the mechanisms to record the names and particulars of people or
companies issued sim cards as a result”.
“Today as I speak we do not have any idea of who has been
issued with a simcard and their telephone numbers”.
He said a new system will be in place that will register subscribers face finger
prints and particulars at every store where simcards will be sold.
“To address this issue we have decided that every subscriber
that has been allocated a sim and a number must have a biometric, meaning they
must have a face registered and finger prints must be registered with full
particulars of which you are where you reside and your occupation”.
“Our enforcement officers will be also making sure that
points of sales of simcards must have the necessary equipment’s to facilitate
the compulsory registration”.
He said cabinet had approved the regulation for compulsory
simcard registration and was certified on Wednesday.
“At the purpose of this occasion let me tell you the
regulation was certified on Wednesday and was approved by the cabinet on the
15th of July 2015”.
“Now that it has been certified we will be drafting the
necessary instruments for the Governor General to sign and will be effective in
2 weeks’ time”.
“All new subscribers will have to start registering and for
those who have simcards will have to be registered by the service providers”.
Charles Punaha said
He said the process would take 18 months for existing
subscribers while new subscribers will start registering in two weeks’ time,
service provders Digicel, Bmobile and Telikom PNG will have to work within that
time frame and will have to justify if they want a further extension.
“The process will take 18 months for existing subscribers and
within 18months every individual must go back to the service provider and have
themselves registered we have given enough notice to the providers to prepare
themselves. So if you want the 18months to be extended you have to come back to
NICTA and justify because we have given you enough notice in the absence of the
CEO and the board of NICTA and to go through the process I think enough time
has been given”. Charles Punaha said
“Enough notice has been given it is now time for
implementation after it has been signed
by the head of state and gazetted hopefully in 2 weeks, time”. Charles Punaha said
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