Govt. asks Service providers to conduct mobile Sim registration in rural areas

Govt. asks Service providers to conduct mobile Sim registration in rural areas

Lusaka, July 12, ZANIS —Government  has asked  the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) to direct the country’s three service providers to visit the rural to conduct mobile sim registration.

This follows an appeal by Induna Matafeni in Chief Msoros’ area in Mambwe District who called for the three service providers to carry out mobile Sim card registration in rural areas so that people’s sim cards were not blocked.

 Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Deputy Minister Panji Kaunda says that it will be difficult for rural dwellers to trek to nearby towns to register their Sims due to transport constraints.

He said the mobile service providers should therefore take it upon themselves to move into rural areas to conduct sim registration there.

ZANIS reports that the deputy minister said this at a meeting in Kasamanda area in Chief Msoro’s Chiefdom yesterday when he explained the removal of fuel and maize subsidies.

Col. Kaunda stated that (ZICTA) should come up with a programme that will encourage mobile service providers to conduct sim in rural parts of the country rural areas so that no person will have their sim cards closed for failure to meet the deadline.

Earlier Induna Matafeni expressed worry that rural people’s failure to travel to nearby towns where they can have their SIM cards registered may result in a lot of people having their sim cards blocked.

He said there were so many people who own phones in his area and that if their sim cards were closed down, the move would result in serious communication breakdown in the area. 

Induna Matafeni also urged government to work on the road network in the chiefdom which he said is in a deplorable state.

But Col. Kaunda assured the people that government was determined to ensure that their living conditions were uplifted.

He said President Michael Sata’s government means well for the Zambian people and that with their support government will deliver to their expectations.