Dubai: Beginning on Tuesday, UAE mobile subscribers who have failed to update their personal data with etisalat and du will be cut off, a top official at the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) told Gulf News.
If you have received an SMS warning you to register your mobile and you’ve ignored it, beware.
“It is a regulation that should be abided by all subscribers who got an SMS from one of the UAE official operators to re-register their personal information during an assigned period,” said Majid Al Mesmar, Deputy Director General of TRA.
“Those who failed to update their personal data for either etisalat or du will lose their mobile connection starting on January 16 until they would be able to complete the re-registration process.”
But if you haven’t received an SMS so far, you needn’t worry — your turn will come in the coming months.
But if you fail to update your information within the specified period following the SMS, your SIM card could be cancelled.
“To register the personal information, etisalat and du subscribers should visit any of their outlets, offices or service centres across the Emirates and submit original copies of their personal documents for authentication,” he said.
Etisalat has 105 registration points across the UAE, while du has 46.
There are more than 13 million mobile phones in use in the UAE and the TRA has launched its ‘My Number, My Identity’ campaign in June to stamp out mobile phone fraud and tighten security.
By the end of this year, all of the mobile phones in the UAE should be registered. After that, registered owners of the SIMs will have to bear any consequences for misuse of the cards issued in their names.
The increase in civil and criminal cases due to misuse of mobile numbers has pushed TRA to enforce such procedures to help protect the mobile subscribers’ rights and prevent risks of misuse, Al Mesmar said.
“Until today, we are still receiving complaints from customers that result in legal and financial issues between the actual owner and the actual user of the SIM cards,” he said.
Du is granting a grace period of three months to customers who did not re-register their SIM cards by the end of tomorrow. After that, the SIM will be suspended if they failed to do so.
Etisalat did not respond to Gulf News queries yesterday.
Du said it has divided its more than six million mobile subscribers into six or seven batches.
“The deadline is applicable only to the first two batches and others need not worry,” said du’s Yasser Al Yousuf, director for its premium personal market
Around two million subscribers are in the first two batches, and du said around three million customers have re-registered their details. Du subscribers can voluntarily proceed to re-register their numbers at the call centre, and those who did will receive a confirmation message thanking them for registering.
“The next batch will have three months to re-register their cards and the date for the next batch will be decided by the TRA,” he said.
While both of the UAE telecom service providers say they have frequently clarified how the registration process works step by step, a lot of customers say they are still unaware about what to do.
Mukhtar Ullar, asked for advice and further explanation about the registrations process. He said that he has to register his SIM card and his wife’s but don’t know much about the procedures.
Osama Mahmood said the registration process hasn’t worked as expected.
“I’ve submitted the form for re-registration of etisalat SIM cards, but still no confirmation message has been received for some numbers,” he told Gulf News. “Three times I went to the etisalat branch and said that I still had no confirmation SMS. They told me not to worry, the number will be re-registered. I’ve even asked if I have to resubmit, they said ‘No.’ Now I am afraid I’ll lose some of my numbers even though I have re-registered those.”
Important info
All mobile phone users in the UAE are required to re-register their numbers as part of the TRA’s ‘My Number, My Identity’ campaign. Here’s vital information you need to know.
How do I know when to re-register my number?
There are several staggered dates for re-registration, the first of which is tomorrow. Mobile phone users will receive an SMS telling them when they need to re-register by. If you have received an SMS advising you to re-register by tomorrow, you need to do so immediately or your service may be suspended. If you haven’t
received an SMS, you don’t have to re-register just yet — but you can still re-register at any time.
What documents will I need?
UAE nationals: An original and valid Emirates ID, or an original and valid UAE passport.
GCC nationals: An original and valid Emirates ID, or an original and valid GCC passport, or an original and valid GCC ID.
Expatriates and visitors: An original and valid
Emirates ID, or an original and valid passport and visa.
What if it’s a mobile belonging to a business or government entity?
These numbers must also be re-registered.
The following documents are required:
An original and valid Establishment Card that is issued by Ministry of Interior (Immigration Office);
An original and valid Power of Attorney;
An original and valid ID and details of the authorised single point of contact.
Do I need to bring anything else?
You should also bring a clear photocopy of the document you intend to use. And if you have a re-registration form filled out in advance, all the better — but you can complete this form when registering your mobile phone. It simply saves time.
Where do I re-register my SIM card?
You can re-register your card at any etisalat or du office. In addition, certain authorised outlets are also accepting re-registration details. According to du, these include authorised dealers including Axiom, Jumbo, Eros, Jacky’s, E-max, Plug-ins and more.
Why do I have to re-register my line or renew my registration?
This is in line with the TRA’s policy regarding the re-registration requirements for consumer mobile customers to protect their rights and confidentiality and to avoid fraud cases.
How can I restore my mobile service?
If you have received SMSes asking you to update your identification documents and you haven’t done so before the provided deadline, your mobile service may get suspended. To restore your mobile service quickly, you must re-register your phone.
What will happen if I fail to register by the date mentioned in the SMS?
Your line will be suspended for a period of time. If you still to not re-register during the suspension period, your mobile line will be de-activated and you will not be able to claim back your number.
Do I have to update and re-register identification documents if I have not yet received an SMS?
If you have not received an SMS with your re-registration due date yet, your line will not be suspended. However, you can still re-register your line at your convenience.
