Listers, More than 2.4 million unregistered SIM cards switched off The four local mobile operators have to date switched off more than 2.4 million unregistered SIM cards. According to statistics gathered from mobile operators, a total of 2,408,266 unregistered mobile lines had, by January 8, been switched off, barely a week after the expiry of the December 31 deadline. Safaricom has disconnected a total of 1.2 million unregistered SIM cards. Orange and Airtel have disconnected 520,000 and 365,266 unregistered lines, respectively. YuMobile on the other hand has switched off 323,000 SIM cards. Subscribers whose lines have been switched off have up to 90 days to register their SIM cards, failing which their mobile numbers will be withdrawn permanently and subsequently reassigned to new users. Below is disaggregated data on the switch off: Operator Registered Subscribers Suspended Subscribers 28th Dec 2012 8th Jan 2013 28th Dec 2012 8th Jan 2013 Airtel 3,877,475 4,347,765 70,830 365,266 Orange 2,106,250 2,160,873 120,010 520,000 Safaricom 17,200,000 17,290,000 800,000 1,200,000 YuMobile 2,353,106 2,440,000 290,000 323,000 Total 25,536,831 26,238,638 1,280,840 2,408,266 Christopher Wambua Manager/Communications Consumer and Public Affairs Division Communications Commission of Kenya P.O. Box 14448, NAIROBI 00800 KENYA
