By James Barton

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has pushed back its original SIM verification deadline from  January 31st to February 13th 2023.

The regulator announced the deadline in December last year, with local outlet Daily News reporting that subscribers would be required to verify SIM cards using their personal National Identification Number (NIN).

Mobile users who fail to verify their SIM cards will no longer be able to receive or provide services once the deadline has lapsed, with TCRA Director-General Jabiri Bakari stating in December that this would reduce fraud and ensure user safety.

“If every one of us fully performs this SIM card verification exercise, we shall succeed in calming minor turbulences of the telecommunication service atmosphere, which are created by few unscrupulous users who misuse the communication space, hence it will be safer for each of us receiving services,” said Bakari at the time, noting that the initiative would also create a more accurate database of active SIM cards in Tanzania.