DUBAI // Customers of du who missed the deadline to re-register their Sim cards have been warned they have less than a week before their lines are disconnected.
The telecoms company's mobile subscribers who had been alerted by text to register their cards at the start of the year have until April 16.
Du allowed customers a 90-day grace period during which they can accept incoming calls and text messages but cannot make them.
After the suspended status period ends, the customer's line will be disconnected.
"Following disconnection, the line will be cancelled and the customer will need to apply for a new one," a du spokeswoman said.
Etisalat and du have been contacting subscribers to re-register their Sim cards as part of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority's (TRA) My Number, My Identity campaign.
The process is being done in batches with the first two phases ending on January 17. In all there will be seven phases.
"We are contacting our customers in batches to inform them of the date by which they must register their Sim card," said the spokeswoman. "They will receive their first communication 90 days before the deadline."
Tens of thousands of people have already re-registered. The TRA launched the campaign last summer as part of efforts to tackle the fraudulent use of Sim cards.
Customers must fill in an application form and present a valid passport, residency visa or Emirates or GCC identity card at any du or Etisalat outlets, or authorised dealers.
Subscribers who have not received text alerts can still register. Etisalat was not available for comment.
For more details, visit www.etisalat.ae or www.du.ae
nhanif@thenational.ae