Operators to identify prepaid users

Antara, Jakarta

Starting on Saturday, cellular phone operators must identify their prepaid card users nationwide and register them in compliance with a Ministry of Communications and Information's ruling.

Minister Sofyan Djalil said on Friday that the registration process would have to be completed by April 5, 2006, in anticipation of electronic crimes ranging from scams to terrorism.

"There have been many complaints by people from housewives to state officials on electronic crimes. Therefore, the government decided to identify prepaid card users," he said.

Among the crimes that used cellular phones were bomb hoaxes. Jakarta Police have announced that they would charge bomb threat callers under the antiterrorism law.

At present, prepaid cards for cellular phones are sold freely and customers are neither required to fill in a form nor submit a copy of their ID card.

Many cellular phone operators currently offer low-priced prepaid cards, starting from around Rp 20,000 (US$2), in a highly competitive market.

In the long run, the communications minister's policy would be formulated as a ministerial decree to prevent the abuse of telecommunication services.

Cellular phone operators would be obliged to provide the equipment required to register their prepaid card customers.

Sofyan said that operators must deactivate cell phone numbers should customers fail to hand over their personal data by the deadline. Numbers would be deactivated should data be incorrect or fake.

Cellular phone operators must submit their data on customers to the Attorney General's Office, National Police and the communications ministry, in a bid to assist the investigation of special crimes.