Morocco: Towards the disconnection of anonymous SIM cards
July 12th 2024
Morocco’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) has asked telecom operators to identify and deactivate anonymous SIM cards within three months. The measure was revealed earlier this week by Ghita Mezzour (pictured), Minister Delegate for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, in an address to Parliament.
According to the minister, telecom operators are now required to update their database so that it is reliable and credible. In particular, they must specify the full name and the registration number of the national identity card for each subscriber.
This measure is part of the measures taken by the ANRT to combat the misuse of anonymous SIM cards in order to strengthen the security and traceability of mobile service users across the country. These measures come in a context marked not only by the growing adoption of electronic communications services, but also by the increase in cases of fraud using its services.
In addition, the Moroccan government aims to modernize the country by using digital technologies to stimulate economic growth, improve public services and ensure broader digital inclusion. Ms. Mezzour announced on July 3 the launch of a digital portal to centralize all digital services.
As a reminder, Morocco has 55.2 million mobile phone subscribers and 38.3 million Internet service subscribers, according to the latest ANRT data (March 2024). In addition to these statistics, there are 2.9 million fixed-line subscribers.
Source: Agency EcoFin
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