ARPCE Reports Alarming Decline in SIM Card Identification
Brazzaville – The Congo Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority announces that the country’s SIM card identification effort has declined. Only 9.13% of cards identified between January and August were properly activated, compared to 13.20% in 2024, according to its latest report.
Field Investigation Reveals Weak Points
Inspectors visited 18 cities across Bouenza, Pool, Kouilou, Cuvette, and Niari, as well as the economic hub Pointe-Noire and the capital, from July 23 to August 28. They audited over 12,500 SIM card sales records and interviewed vendors.
Only Kinkala and Djambala complied with the rule requiring each buyer to present official identification and sign an activation form. In Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, auditors found kiosks selling pre-activated prepaid cards, with fake data fields filled in by store staff to speed up queues.
Similar shortcuts were recorded in Dolisie, Ouesso, Pokola, Ngo, Tchamba-Nzassi, Madingo-Kayes, Loudima, Bouansa, Loutété, and Nkayi. In several cases, vendors had copied the same national ID number onto dozens of forms, an offense that compromises traceability in a market with over six million active SIM cards.
Security Implications for Cities and Rural Areas
ARPCE identifies Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire as the country’s digital nerve centers and thus prime targets for cyberfraud systems that rely on anonymous numbers. Phishing networks, mobile money scams, and extortion attempts increasingly start with untraceable calls, warns the regulator.
Since June, 412 suspicious numbers have been frozen. “Investigations stop when we discover the SIM card was registered under a non-existent identity,” said an official, calling proper registration “our first line of defense.”
Operators Face Tight Two-Month Deadline
During a meeting, the ARPCE Director General gave the four licensed mobile operators – Airtel Congo, MTN Congo, Congo Telecom, and Azur – two months to align sales channels with the decree or face graduated sanctions, ranging from fines to license suspensions.
“The compliance goal is ambitious but achievable,” he stated. He cited previous campaigns in 2017 and 2021 that, according to ARPCE statistics, raised accurate registration rates above 60% before they declined again after enforcement was relaxed. “This time, we will maintain surveillance,” he insisted.
Economic and Social Implications
Telecommunications analysts note that Congo-Brazzaville’s mobile market generates about 3% of GDP and employs thousands in informal trade. Tighter controls, they say, must not hinder growth. “We need fast and affordable identity solutions,” observed an expert.
One option under consideration is integrating the recently deployed biometric voter cards from the Ministry of Interior into the activation process. “Linking databases can reduce fraud without adding paperwork.”