7.42 PM Thursday, 28 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:57 06:11 12:27 15:53 18:37 19:51
28 March 2024

6.8 million UAE mobile numbers cut by TRA

Published
By Staff

The UAE’s telecommunications regulators have cancelled nearly 6.8 million GSM lines after their owners failed to meet the deadline and have them registered.

The telecommunications regulatory authority (TRA) said it had completed the registration of about 24.2 million GSM SIM cards since it launched a programme to have all working mobile phone lines registered with their operators etisalat and du.

In a statement carried by the Dubai-based Arabic language daily Emarat Al Youm, TRA said only around two per cent of the total working GSM lines in the UAE have not been recorded, but added that their owners have submitted data and they would be fully registered in the coming few days.

“Around 6.8 million lines have been cancelled because their owners have failed to meet the deadline and submit personal data for registration,” TRA said.

It said the SIM registration programme, which ended in April, would contribute to enhancing security in the country and curb fraud and other malpractices.

The UAE, the second largest Arab economy after Saudi Arabia, has one of the world’s highest GSM penetration ratios, exceeding 160 per cent at the end of June.