Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) has pushed the Know Your Customer (KYC) deadline to the 30th June after only reaching 48.4% of subscribers by the end of business on Thursday.
As at 28 March, KYC compliant numbers stood at 2,1 million against a subscriber base of 4,4 million which translates 48.4%.
These statistics confirm that over half of the active SIMcards still need to be registered.
KYC deadline was initially set for the 31st of March, 2024.
The telecommunications regulatory authority attributed the low KYC compliance a number of factors such as expired national identity cards (Omang) and incompatible foreign identity documentation, which are rejected by the system.
"We have also come to realise that there are numerous Omang cards that have been issued and remain uncollected at various Omang offices across the country. We therefore plead with the affected members of the public to collect their Omang cards and complete their KYC,” the statement from BOCRA reads.
The extension time is meant to allow subscribers additional opportunity to comply with the KYC process.
“ We strongly advise and encourage subscribers to utilise the window provided by the extension of the time and to complete KYC process to avoid service disruption and disconnection.”
