Close to eight million SIM cards could have been rendered useless had the government not extended the registration deadline to August 30 this year.

Information and communication permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo said that only 62 percent of the estimated 20 million subscribers had so far complied with the government directive with the initioal deadline expected to expire on Friday.

And as is oftentimes the case with Kenyans when it comes to procrastination, despite having a whole month to register their SIM cards most of them jammed registration centers to beat the deadline.

But the government came to their rescue with a 31 day extension notice.

Market leader Safaricom registered the highest number of SIM cards at 71 percent of its 12 million customers while Zain was second with 54 percent of its 1.03 million subscribers registered according to Ndemo.

The government is creating the register of SIM card owners with names and personal details to help authorities rein in the growing high-tech crime rate.

Ndemo said it was now criminal for telecommunication operators to register new subscribers without identification documents.

Last year, President Mwai Kibaki directed mobile phone operators to register their customers to boost national security and reduce phone related crimes.

Recyclable and compostable bio-sourced SIM card was launched by SFR on trial basis. This was announced by world’s leading digital security provider, Gemalto. With more than 20 million mobile subscribers, SFR is one of the leading mobile operators in France.

The launch of this bio-sourced SIM card demonstrates the operator’s commitment to introduce innovative products in the market. It is also the company’s policy to reduce the impact on the environment due to its activities. Bio-plastics material that is derived from plants such as corn, potato starch or sugarcane is utilized for the manufacture of these SIM card body. It is easily compostable and recyclable and no toxic fumes are emitted during its incineration.

Eco-friendly products in Gemalto’s expanded portfolio are utilized by customers such as telecom, banking and governments throughout the world. Gemalto’s eco-friendly product portfolio demonstrates the company’s commitment to reduce its impact on the environment. The bio-sourced SIM card is part of this portfolio.

Philippe Vallée, Executive Vice President, Telecommunication Business Unit, Gemalto, said that both SFR and Gemalto have a common goal to introduce new innovative eco-friendly products in the market. Bio-sourced cards will be distributed by SFR in spring 2010.

The decision of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to commence the registration of all Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card holders in the country is a commendable step towards bringing sanity to the Global System for Mobile (GSM) Communication and Code Diversion Multiple Access (CDMA) sectors and addressing the security crisis in Nigeria, according to the All Africa.

According to the Head, Media and Public Relations of the Commission, Mr. Reuben Muoka, those seeking registration of their SIM cards would need to produce valid identification documents including E-passport, corporate/company or work place identity cards that have pension identification/tax numbers; student ID cards from recognized institutions; drivers license issued by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and e-tax cards. Read more »

China Unicom and Yucheng Transportation Card Co have jointly introduced an NFC version of Chongqing city’s Yucheng Tong card that can be used to make payments on public transport, in cinemas and at shops and restaurants.

An NFC-based payments system called Cqpass has been commercially launched in the Chinese city of Chongqing following extensive field testing. Cqpass lets consumers make payments for a wide range of goods and services using a specially developed mobile phone and has been jointly introduced by mobile operator China Unicom, Chongqing Yucheng Transportation Card, mobile phone manufacturer Guohong Telecom and Digital and smart card and SIM supplier Watchdata.

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SanDisk and LG have partnered together to create a flash card that cellular providers can lock down to their service only. This new “smart card” will allow companies to provide many features and services on removable cards without worrying about piracy across phones. This opens the door for more iPhone like features on standard and smart cell phones.
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