Egypt refers four mobile phone companies to the Public Prosecution

- Due to registration of lines in the names of citizens without their knowledge

The National Telecom Regulatory Authority in Egypt announced on Monday that it has referred the four telecommunications companies operating in the country to the Public Prosecution, after detecting violations related to the registration of mobile phone lines in the names of citizens without their knowledge or possession of those lines.

In a statement, the Authority said the decision came in light of monitoring complaints received from users regarding the existence of mobile phone lines registered with their personal data without their knowledge, clarifying that it had referred the four companies to the Public Prosecution to take investigative measures regarding the facts under the complaints.

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It added that meetings held with the telecommunications companies resulted in the approval of a package of urgent regulatory measures aimed at tightening the mobile phone line registration system, verifying the identity of actual holders, and preventing the recurrence of such incidents in the future.

The measures included suspending the sale or activation of any new lines through the companies’ systems for entities and institutions, whether belonging to the private sector or government bodies and agencies, as well as obliging the companies to send text messages to all old lines registered in their systems, notifying their holders of the necessity to visit company branches to sign new contracts in the name of the actual line holder.

Telecommunications companies in Egypt allow the creation of an electronic “wallet” linked to a mobile phone number, through which money can be transferred and received. Personal phone numbers are also linked to various services, including bank accounts, traffic violations, and bill payments, as part of the digital transformation plan.

Over the past few days, several Egyptian citizens published video clips and posts on social media platforms, stating that they discovered telecommunications lines registered in their names without their knowledge. Some of them filed police reports to clear themselves of any legal violations that might be committed using those lines.

The Ministry of Communications estimated the number of mobile phone service subscribers in Egypt at approximately 123 million by the end of last December.

As of now, no comments have been issued by the telecommunications companies operating in the Egyptian market, namely Orange, Vodafone Egypt, Etisalat Egypt, and Telecom Egypt (WE), regarding the Authority’s statement.