The Government today (June 4) gazetted the Telecommunications (Registration of SIM Cards) Regulation (the Regulation) to implement the Real-name Registration Programme for Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Cards. The Regulation seeks to facilitate the prevention and detection of crimes related to the use of pre-paid SIM cards (PPS), thereby safeguarding the integrity of telecommunications services and the communications network. It will commence on September 1 this year.

     Under the Regulation, telecommunications operators are required to put in place the registration infrastructure and back-end systems for real-name registration in phase one, i.e. in around 180 days from September 1, 2021.

     Phase two will start on March 1, 2022. From then, all new PPS cards that are available for sale in the market and new SIM service plans (SSP) that are effective starting from that date must complete real-name registration before activation. Existing PPS card users are required to complete real-name registration with respective operators in the 360-day grace period under phase two, i.e. on or before February 23, 2023. Existing SSP users are not required to "re-register" their personal particulars with their operators. They only need to register in accordance with the Regulation if they change to another operator or subscribe to a new phone number. For details of the Regulation, please visit the website: www.cedb.gov.hk/ccib/en/legco-business/document/SIM%20Regulation.pdf.

     The Regulation will be tabled at the Legislative Council for negative vetting on June 9.

Ends/Friday, June 4, 2021
Issued at HKT 11:01

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