02-09-2013 Dubai cell phone providers blocked the phones of 3 million users.
Dubai cell phone providers – DU and Etisalat companies partly or completely blocked numbers of 3 million users within the campaign "My number, my identity" to re-register sim-card holders.
By order of Telecommunications Regulatory Authority — TRA, the campaign was begun in July last year and was divided into 6 stages reaching out to certain groups of users. The purpose of the campaign is every phone number to be registered strictly on certain and alive person.
In some countries, there are "shill" companies who sell disembodied sim-cards to all who wants to buy it. It makes criminals in mobile communication sphere almost elusive. One of the negative examples in this sphere is Afghanistan, where officially registered companies including Etisalat, are faced to the problem that almost a quarter of habitants use phones with disembodied sim-cards. Mobile communication services provide clandestine shady companies importing communication equipment from adjoining countries illegally.
"My number, my identity" campaign require a sim-card holder has to re-register it in providers' offices during 90 days starting from sms notification. Etisalat clients can do it online, but DU provider does not provide in such services and its clients have to come to Customer Service bringing passport or other documents. If the client had no time to re-register sim-card at a stated time, Provider Company will block his dialed calls and sms. If he does not pay next 90 days after partial block of his number, the phone number will be blocked completely. So far, more than 3 million clients of DU and Etisalat can just look at their phones without any possibility to call. However, 12 million of conscientious and responsible users have already re-registered their sim-cards. According TRA the campaign will be finished completely in the beginning of 2014.
