Jamaica mandates SIM Card Registration

­Jamaica’s government has approved plans to mandate SIM card registration by the country’s three mobile network operators.

According to the Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Daryl Vaz, the legislation is regarded by the local security forces as a tool to assist law enforcement in investigating serious crimes. Security intelligence supports the fact that criminal networks exploit the anonymity accorded by pre-paid mobile telephones to execute their nefarious dealings.

The Cabinet has approved drafting instructions to prepare for amendments to the Telecommunications Act, 2000 to require SIM card registration.

Vaz added that cabinet also stipulated that special consideration be given to the registration process to ensure that this would not be open to abuse and was not restrictive to legitimate existing and potential subscribers. The timeline for registration is still to be agreed with the mobile networks.