VODACOM EXTENDS WORKING HOURS TO FACILITATE BIOMETRIC REGISTRATION PROCESS

Deploys 30,000 foot agents to register more people in their workplace and home areas

23 December 2019, Dar es Salaam - Vodacom Tanzania PLC has extended working hours throughout its over 400 Vodacom shops and service desks across the country to meet the demands of customers rushing to meet the 31st December deadline for biometric registration of all SIM cards. Vodacom’s Managing Director Hisham Hendi said the move is aimed at ensuring more Vodacom customers comply with biometric registration of Sim cards and ensure they stay connected.

“We understand how busy the holiday season can get and with the December 31st deadline looming, we have decided to extend our working hours from 5 pm to 8 pm. We therefore call on our customers who have national identification cards and NIDA numbers to visit our shops across the country and register their SIM cards cards to comply with the government’s directive in order to avoid any inconvenience of interruption of communication of services especially during the festive season when communication to loved ones is crucial. Customers who have not yet applied for national identification cards should do so, in order to complete their sim card registration process” he said’,

SIM cards Biometric registration is meant to curb misuse of mobile phones and enhance security. Tanzanians have been urged to get NIDA cards and numbers in order to comply with this directive. According to the Government's directive, telecommunication SIM cards that have not been registered biometrically will be disconnected after the 31 December 2019 deadline.

‘In addition we have tasked our Vodacom foot agents who have special IDs and uniforms to to visit businesses and residential neighbourhoods to mobilize and facilitate customers to register their SIM cards at ease’ Hisham concluded.

He highlited that a client needs to have either a National Identification Card or it’s number, “if a person can remember his/her National Identification Number (NIN) then we register him, it’s not a must for someone to produce physical National ID,” said Hisham.

Early this year, the Government under TCRA ordered all SIM card holders to be registered biometrically, Biometrics are becoming increasingly used as a “know your customer(KYC)” tool for keeping fraudsters out of the customer base, particularly for telecom.

About Vodacom Tanzania:
Vodacom Tanzania Plc is the country’s leading mobile operator and mobile financial services provider. We provide a wide range of communication services for consumers and enterprise – including voice, data and messaging, video, cloud and hosting, mobile solutions and financial services – to over 14.1 million customers. Vodacom Tanzania Plc and its subsidiary companies are part of the Vodacom Group registered in South Africa which is in turn owned by Vodacom Group Plc of the United Kingdom. It has been registered on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) with registration number ISIN: TZ1886102715 Stock name: VODA.

For further information please visit our website: www.vodacom.co.tz