A man uses his mobile phone while standing on a promenade that runs along Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong on Dec 14, 2020. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
HONG KONG – The new regulation on real-name registration for SIM cards in Hong Kong will take effect Wednesday, requiring operators to have the required systems in place by the end of February.
In a statement, the Hong Kong government said the public can continue to use their existing pre-paid SIM cards during the first phase of the implementation of Telecommunications (Registration of SIM Cards) Regulation which ends on Feb 28, 2022.
Existing pre-paid SIM card users have to complete the real-name registration with respective operators before the end of phase two, by Feb 23, 2023. Otherwise, the cards can no longer be used
Once the second phase begins on March 1, 2022, all new SIM service plan services and pre-paid SIM cards will require real-name registration before activation.
Existing pre-paid SIM card users have to complete the registration with respective operators before the end of phase two, by Feb 23, 2023. Otherwise, the cards can no longer be used.
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Existing SIM service plan users do not need to register again with their operators unless they change to another one or subscribe to a new phone number.
The registration program will help plug the loophole arising from the anonymous nature of SIM cards and assist law enforcement agencies in detecting crimes involving their use, said the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau.
The program will also defend the integrity of telecommunications services as well as law and order, it added.
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Each individual user may register no more than 10 pre-paid SIM cards with each telecommunications operator, while each corporate user may register up to 25 pre-paid SIM cards, according to the regulation, adding that there is no limit on the number of registrable SIM service plan cards.