South Africans face a new layer of identity checks for their mobile numbers. On Wednesday, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) published draft amendments to the Numbering Plan Regulations in the Government Gazette for public comment.
The proposals aim to clamp down on SIM fraud and ensure numbering resources are used more efficiently. If finalised, they would introduce a one-year transition window before taking effect. The changes are separate from, but build on, existing RICA rules that already require anyone registering or buying a SIM to present their ID.
What operators must do
The draft requires mobile operators to verify a subscriber’s identity through biometric verification against the Home Affairs database when a mobile number is activated or reactivated on their network. Biometric data is defined as physical characteristics of a natural person, such as facial images or fingerprints.
The rules go further than new activations. Operators must also run biometric checks to confirm that existing clients are who they claim to be. Operators that fail to comply face fines of at least R2 million and up to R4 million.
Timeline for existing users
Operators will have two years from the date the regulations come into effect to verify the identities of their existing subscribers. Because the rules only take effect a year after they are finalised, the practical deadline for completing checks on current customers is three years after the final regulations are published.
An explanatory note attached to the draft indicates that most operators have already rolled out biometric systems for customer verification. However, these systems have only been implemented in post-paid offerings so far. Icasa based this finding on a request-for-information exercise it conducted in 2025.
The draft includes other measures:
- Mobile numbers issued to foreign visitors will remain valid only for as long as the visitor’s visa is valid, or for 90 days, whichever applies.
- Operators may issue up to five mobile numbers per subscriber. The limit applies separately to each operator, so a person can still hold the maximum on multiple networks.
- Operators must not retain subscriber records for more than 30 days after a mobile number is deactivated.
Why the change?
The new rules follow the direction mobile operators have already taken. In June, the Association of Comms and Technology, which represents major operators including MTN, Vodacom and Telkom, announced that its members were voluntarily tightening SIM registration requirements. Fraudulent SIM registration enables financial fraud and other crimes because it makes it harder to trace communications back to the sender.
Icasa’s explanatory note cites its State of ICT Sector report for 2026, which recorded just over 117 million mobile subscriptions in South Africa. Statistics SA estimated the country’s population at around 63.5 million in mid-2026.
For everyday users, the changes mean an extra biometric step when activating a new number, reactivating one, or being asked to re-verify an existing line. The measures target fraud but will require operators to scale biometric checks across both new and existing customers.
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