Latest SIM registration deadline leaves three million accounts suspended in the UAE

Approximately three million SIM cards have been suspended in the UAE after users failed to register them before the cut-off deadline.

Suspension means that a mobile subscriber cannot make an outgoing call but can receive incoming calls and text messages.

"The licensees suspended the service for almost three million subscribers who were late in updating their information during the last phases of the campaign." noted the TRA director general, Mohamed Al Ghanim.

In addition, over the past four phases of the registration process around two million SIM cards have been permanently disconnected after being suspended for three months.

A fifth phase, out of six by the telecom regulator and the mobile networks has now started, targeting around four million more accounts to require them to register their identification with the mobile networks.

The aim is to complete the entire process by the start of next year.