South Africa’s major telecommunications operators are pushing for a limit of 20 SIM cards per person on each network, challenging a proposal by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) to restrict subscribers to five numbers per operator.
The operators, represented by the Association of Comms & Technology (ACT), also accuse the regulator of exceeding its legal powers under proposed changes to the country’s SIM registration rules.
ACT Chief Executive Officer, Nomvuyiso Batyi, said the industry’s proposed 20-SIM limit was part of a framework agreement signed by its members in June. The association represents Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, Cell C, Rain and Liquid Intelligent Technologies.
Under the proposal, an individual could register up to 20 SIM cards on each network, meaning subscribers using multiple operators could hold more than 20 numbers.
Batyi said the limit was not necessarily fixed, arguing that some people needed additional SIM cards to cater for large families and dependants.
“The 20 is not cast in stone. If somebody says, ‘I want 40 or 50 because I have a larger pool of dependants that I need to register’, then that needs to be taken care of,” she said.
Icasa’s draft amendments to its numbering regulations, published on October 28, propose a maximum of five numbers per subscriber on each network. The rules would also require fingerprint or facial verification against Home Affairs records whenever a new SIM card is registered or an existing one is replaced.
Telecommunications operators would further have two years to re-verify existing subscribers.
However, Batyi said ACT would challenge aspects of the proposed regulations during the formal consultation process, arguing that Icasa was attempting to assume powers beyond its mandate.
“There are challenges that we see, where you’re giving yourself powers that you do not have,” she said.
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She added that the regulator had participated in industry discussions with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and had been briefed on ACT’s research, making the publication of the draft rules unexpected.
The industry’s alternative framework is being monitored by South Africa’s Competition Commission, which requires an independent third party to assess operators’ readiness and compliance.
Batyi said the commission had also directed ACT to submit any proposed technical solution for approval before implementation, potentially delaying the planned rollout. The association had initially targeted a soft launch in January but now expects the process to take about another month.
The proposed system will rely partly on liveness checks, which establish that a real person is physically present during SIM registration rather than someone using a photograph or copied identity document.
One objective is to help informal SIM vendors, including those operating at taxi ranks, verify customers. ACT found that some agents in rural areas were registering SIM cards using 2G connections, Batyi said.
She also raised concerns about the cost of verifying identities against the Home Affairs database, saying each check costs R10 and could become expensive when applied across millions of subscribers.
ACT has approached the department’s chief information officer to ensure its proposed verification systems are compatible with government infrastructure.
The association has also asked the Justice Department to remove the requirement under the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (RICA) for subscribers to provide a physical address.
Batyi argued that many residents of rural communities and informal settlements do not have formal street addresses, suggesting that location data could serve as an alternative.
She was also sceptical about Icasa’s proposal to re-verify every existing subscriber within two years, warning that the exercise could prove difficult to complete. ACT plans to launch a campaign in January encouraging South Africans to check how many SIM cards are registered against their identity numbers.
On mobile-related fraud, Batyi said SIM-swap scams remained a concern but were no longer as widespread as before. She identified WhatsApp scams as the biggest current problem, followed by fraud involving stolen phones and a rise in one-time password (OTP) scams.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
