Mobile Operators Face Action Over Unauthorised SIM Registrations

Egypt's National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has referred the country's four mobile operators to the Public Prosecution over violations involving the registration of mobile lines in users' names without their knowledge or possession.

The regulator said the decision followed the examination of complaints received over the past two days, alongside inspections and the completion of evidence and legal procedures. According to the authority, the action forms part of broader efforts to protect telecommunications users and safeguard personal data by addressing breaches of the rules governing the registration and activation of mobile lines.

Following meetings with the four operators, the NTRA approved a series of urgent regulatory measures aimed at tightening registration procedures. Operators have been instructed to stop selling or activating new mobile lines through company systems for public and private sector entities. They must also send text messages to customers with older registered lines, requiring them to visit company branches and sign new contracts in the name of the actual line holder. Lines that are not updated within the specified grace period will be permanently cancelled.

The authority has also instructed operators to accelerate the rollout of biometric identity verification through their mobile applications, allowing customers to confirm ownership of lines registered in their names and take action against any numbers they do not possess.

The NTRA said it will continue monitoring compliance with the new procedures and warned that operators failing to implement the measures could face further legal and administrative action, including restrictions on the sale and activation of new mobile lines and additional referrals to the Public Prosecution. Protecting citizens' personal data and ensuring the integrity of mobile line registration, the authority said, remain key priorities.