Phone users 'must register' under decree

The registration of telephone customer details has been made compulsory in Fiji through a new decree approved by Cabinet.

The Compulsory Registration of Customers for Telephone Services Decree 2010 requires all current users to register their details with a telephone service provider within a month from the commencement of the decree.

“Details to be registered are the full name, date of birth, photo identification, home address and parent’s signature if user is below 18 years,” said Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

He said that under the decree, telephone services will be suspended if user details are not registered within the deadline.

“For every new SIM card or fixed line telephone bought after the (decree) commencement date, customer details set out in the decree must be registered before a service provider can provide services to that number.”

“In addition, any number which has not made or received any calls for 180 consecutive days will be disconnected and only reconnected upon fulfillment of registration requirements under the Decree.”

Sayed-Khaiyum said that fines will also be imposed under the decree if the provisions are not fulfilled by the customer or the service provider.

The Attorney-General said that a significant number of telephone users are making bogus and threatening calls, including bomb threats thus diverting and wasting public resources.

“They have been impersonating government ministers to obtain certain privileges and have threatened the lives of government ministers in an attempt to deter ministers from the execution of their official duties.

“There is also a growing concern at the likelihood of mobile phones being used for money laundering and the planning and execution of crimes.”

Sayed-Khaiyum said that a lot of overseas jurisdictions have taken the lead in imposing laws that make registration of telephone customer details compulsory.

He said that Fiji must now follow suit and protect its people and the country from the many threats and crimes that can be initiated or facilitated through the use of the telephone.

The new law, Sayed-Khaiyum said, will also combat the rising number of prank calls to emergency numbers which end up diverting and wasting government resources on ‘emergencies’ that do not exist.

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