Keng Yaik: Compulsory Registration For Pre-paid Mobile Phone Users
August 14, 2005 16:44 PM
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 (Bernama) -- The government has ordered the three telecommunication companies (telcos) in the country to register all prepaid mobile phone users by year-end to assist authorities in tracing culprits responsible for abusive calls and to check abuse of short messaging service (SMS).
Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said the cabinet recently gave the nod to the ministry to make it compulsory for telcos to register existing and new prepaid mobile phone users.
Currently, new prepaid users need to provide personal identification documents before they could buy the subscriber identification module (SIM) cards which would enable them to use the prepaid mobile service.
However, this was not extended to existing prepaid card users as there were some reservations on the matter with the telcos saying it would be difficult to do so.
"We're starting to register existing prepaid mobile phone users in Melaka and Penang next month. It will be expanded in stages and completed by year-end," he told reporters after chairing the Gerakan central committee meeting Sunday.
Under the new order, existing prepaid card users have to register their SIM packs and their personal identification when they come back to top up their credit or airtime.
The government had previously asked local telcos to register their prepaid mobile subscribers but the request was not made mandatory.
"We have 16 million prepaid mobile phone users and 14 million of them are not registered. A small portion of the unregistered prepaid phone users are foreign workers," he said.
Currently, anyone can walk into a phone shop and buy a prepaid mobile SIM pack for as low as RM18 without having to register with the service providers.
Admitting that telcos faced a mammoth task in registering the 14 million prepaid phone subscribers, Dr Lim said they did not have a choice but to follow the government's new ruling.
As at December last year, there were 12 million prepaid mobile phone users, accounting for 83 per cent of the 14.6 million mobile phone users in Malaysia.
Members of Parliament last year called for mandatory registration of prepaid mobile phone users following complaints of some users abusing the service by sending poison text messages.
Countries like Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan began registering prepaid mobile phone users in recent months.
The Thai government ordered registration of prepaid mobile phone users from May 10 to stop terrorists from using prepaid SIM cards as fuses to detonate bombs.
In Taiwan, buyers have to show two forms of identification before they are allowed to buy a prepaid card and operators are penalised if the records are incomplete.
-- BERNAMA
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