5.7 million unregistered sim cards blocked in Mozambique

After the owners missed the December 1, the date to register the sim cards, three leading mobile phone operators in Mozambique, M-Cel, Vodacom and Movitel, have blocked 5.7 million unregistered sim cards. M-Cel, Vodacom and Movitel were warned that they will be heavily fined if they failed to block the Sim cards. Massingue Apala, the Mozambique National Communications Institute official said registration was necessary to promote the “responsible” use of mobile phones and to protect citizens. The Mozambique government first demanded sim card registration in the wake of riots in September in 2010. It was observed that mobile phones were extensively used to mobilise rioters in the capital, Maputo.