The National Communications Authority (NCA) has released the SIM Card Registration Self-Service Application (App).
The NCA in a press statement issued Friday evening said the App - GH SIM SELF REG- has been uploaded on Google Play Store and users can now download it for use.
The App Store [Apple] version is not yet ready and the NCA in the statement said "it will be available on the Apple Store soon."
The App is intended for subscribers who have done Stage 1 of their SIM card registration to complete Stage 2. [See flyers attached below for steps on how to do it yourself].
• Users should have completed their stage 1 (*404#) to use the App
• The App currently accepts Ghana Card only
• The App is currently available on the Google Play Store
The App provides another means for telecom subscribers to complete their SIM Card Registration using the Ghana Card; subscribers who prefer to physically go to their Service Provider’s registration points to complete Stage 2 can still do so, the NCA statement added.
The benefits of the Application include providing convenience for subscribers as they can register in the comfort of their homes, offices or other convenient locations.
"The NCA urges subscribers to reach out to its Operational Support Centre via toll free number 0800-110-622 or the Authority’s handles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn or the NCA’s website, www.nca.org.gh for any enquiries or for more information about the App," it added.
Deadline
The government at the end of second deadline for the re-registration of all sim cards granted a conditional extension of the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards registration exercise to September 30, 2022.
Announcing the extension, the Sector Minister, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said upon consultation with the telecommunications industry and "in view of the challenges enumerated above, I have very reluctantly decided to grant a final conditional extension".
She added: "The programme will, and I am choosing my words carefully, the programme will be extended to 30th September to end on the anniversary of its commencement.
"That will give us one full year of SIM registration, it will be reviewed at the end of this month and any SIM that has not been fully registered by the end of August will be barred from receiving certain services including voice and data services, it will also be more expensive to use unregistered SIMS.
"The full range of punitive measures will be announced at another press briefing in September..."
The government had initially set Sunday, July 31, 2022, as the deadline for all persons to re-register their SIM cards with their Ghana Identification cards. Persons who were unable to re-register their SIMS would have had their SIMS deactivated.
The re-registration is to help law enforcement agencies to identify SIM card owners, track criminals who use SIM cards for illegal activities and curb fraudulent activities.
It is also to develop and build a SIM database with integrity, which will aid the determination of the accurate number of valid SIM cards on the various telecommunication networks at any point in time
However, many Ghanaians have been unable to acquire their Ghana cards to complete the registration process.
SIM registration timeline
The SIM re-registration commenced on October 1, 2021.
The six-month exercise which was expected to end on March 31, 2022, was extended by another 4 months to July 31, 2022.
That extension was granted to enable over 7.5 million Ghanaians and residents who had not obtained Ghana Cards at the time to register their SIM.
