Liberia: Sim Card registration to hit market
By Peterking Quaye, Monrovia, Liberia – The registration of SIM Cards is expected to bring added value to the rapid development in the telecommunications sector in Liberia. As it has been completed in Ghana just few days ago.
According to a Liberia Telecommunication Authority’s press release, the new NNP will bring about uniformity in the numbering pattern and will provide the latitude for expansion to accommodate new entrants by utilizing millions of reserve numbers in the database of the LTA.
Liberians are grappling with telecommunication technology and with the drive to register SIM card, which has its own advantage and disadvantages, mobile phone user as not much raising concern about the issue. The launch of the SIM Card registration and new National Numbering Plan on Monday will begin a ninety day window period in which all existing SIM Card holders in the country will be expected to register their SIM Card numbers with their service providers in their respective communities.
Currently has over 4 mobile telecommunications companies, namely Lone Star-MTN,Comium ,Cellcom ,Libercell ,Libtelco.With a very low teledensity Liberia is expected to restructure the sector to help the changing telecommunication sector if ,the will be attractive to bring in more investors ultimately .
It will aid in the development of a national telephone directory system and reduce cybercrime committed through the use of unidentified cell phone users.
Beginning next week, service providers are expected to set-up registration centers throughout the country to begin the registration in the fifteen counties while the National Numbering Plan will effectively get into motion across the country.
The Liberia Telecommunications Authority is expected to officially launch the SIM Card registration and the new National Numbering Plan this month. The launch follows recent validation forums which critically review the two regulations by stakeholders in the telecommunications sector. The validation forum provided the opportunity for cross section of interest groups, civil society organizations, representatives of GSM and internet service providers and the general public to make input to the two regulations.
During the transition to the NNP, subscribers will be allowed to use both the current number format and the new format, while subscribers will be subsequently informed as regards the migration to the new platform and subsequently notified by means of voice message about the new number format.
