Morocco to Tighten Telecom Regulations, Requiring SIM Card Identification

According to the official, the latter should identify the customers who have purchased a SIM card, whether they are distributors, resellers or commercial agents.

Ms. Mezzour, in response to a question about anonymous SIM cards, recalled that "any natural or legal person may benefit, upon request, from a subscription to the services" in accordance with Article 23 of Law No. 24.96 on the post and telecommunications. She also highlighted the role of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) which has put in place measures to counter the emergence of practices related to the use and distribution of unidentified SIM cards.

The minister specified that public telecommunications network operators should update their subscriber databases and make them more reliable and credible, by including necessary information such as the name, first name, national identity card (CNI) number of the customer and the date of subscription to the contract. She also announced a three-month deadline to incorporate all the subscriber’s identity information into the SIM card database. Failing this, the SIM card will have to be canceled and deactivated by the operator.