Operators to identify prepaid users

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.