SLT Mobitel to invest Rs. 225 million on registration system

Response to TRCSL directive:

by Surekha Galagoda

[email protected]

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, the national mobile service provider will make an additional investment of Rs 225 mln to provide an all encompassing registration system.

Ms Leisha De Silva Chandrasena	Suren J. Amarasekera Pix Chinthaka Kumarasinghe

It is a civic-minded exercise and is being done in response to a directive by the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL), that all mobile subscribers be registered with their respective network and prove ownership of the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) in their possession whenever they are requested by the security forces or police personnel, said Chairperson Ms Leisha De Silva Chandrasena.

She said that since terrorism is sweeping across the globe it is a necessity and our neighbours in the region including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore and Malaysia have already implemented this system.

Ms Chandrasena said that Mobitel subscribers can register or re-register at any of the 65 Mobitel centres by providing the SIM or SIMs in their possession along with the National Identity Card, valid passport or driving licence.

Each centre has trained staff and is equipped to take a digital photograph of the subscriber which will then be sent to a central data base via MMS.

The subscribers can also bring their own photograph which will be verified, scanned and sent to the database.

She said that children who do not have a valid identity but wish to obtain one or have one can come with a parent or guardian and re-register the SIM under the parent or guardian’s name. Once the registration process is completed subscribers will be notified via SMS. Subsequently subscribers can receive the ownership details of their SIM on the phone as a Mobitel Digital Certificate (MDC) by dialling #132# from the mobile phone.

Upon registration the subscriber will be issued with a temporary Mobile Identification Card (MIC) while arrangements have been made to send the permanent MIC to the registered address of the subscriber by post.

If the owner is a child the MIC will bear his or her name and photograph though the SIM is registered under the parents or guardian’s name.

Ms Chandrasena said that the company decided to comply fully with the directive and this was the reason we issue an MIC.

CEO, Mobitel Suren j. Amarasekera said it will take between 18-24 months to register all subscribers but given the situation if the Ministry of Defence insists the exercise will have to be speeded up.

Explaining the rationale of issuing an MIC, he said that the company did it to safeguard the employees and partners’ interests and to avoid the hassle to the subscribers if they are not in a signal receiving place or the battery is low when they are checked by the security forces or police personnel.

Amarasekera said that the number of registration locations will be increased in the future while there will be mobile vans too which will register people in the rural areas.

To motivate people to register they will have promotions as well where the winners will be given prizes, he said.