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Why does MTN deactivate SIM cards still active on WhatsApp?
What you need to know:
A few days back, I received two notices from MTN alerting me of a pending disconnection of one of my SIM cards that I almost use on a daily basis and always believed it was active!
It has been over a year since I last visited Uganda (from Canada). Despite this, I still maintain strong ties with my family, friends, and professional networks.
I do this through various technological avenues and social media platforms hence the reason for owning two MTN SIM cards.
However, a few days back, I received two notices from MTN alerting me of a pending disconnection of one of my SIM cards that I almost use on a daily basis and always believed it was active! I was reliably informed that it was company policy that any SIM card that does not have activities such as mobile money transactions, loading airtime and making calls, is considered inactive and after 270 days, is deactivated and subsequently put back on the market!
Based on this information, my other SIM card has since been deactivated, put back onto the market and another user had already acquired it!
As for my deactivated SIM card, MTN advised I go to their nearest service centre with my National ID and claim the mobile money balance on my “ex” SIM card!
I quickly inquired about my current SIM card. Despite using it more regularly for most WhatsApp transactions, I have not loaded airtime on it since the last time I was home. Therefore, it qualifies as an inactive SIM card and is liable for deactivation!
With the ongoing Covid-19 challenges and travel restrictions, chances are high that many people, including myself, may not be able to travel to Uganda for the Christmas holidays. MTN advises that I have to ask a relative or friend to buy airtime and load it on this SIM card so that it is not deactivated. It does not matter whether the airtime will be used or not, as long MTN gets some money from the SIM card owner or their relatives/friends! It also does not matter whether one’s family, friends and professional contacts spend money on airtime and data bundles to contact the “idle” SIM card but for as long as the airtime transactions do not happen directly on that SIM card, then it is inactive and liable for deactivation! Following these conversations with MTN customer service, I couldn’t help but think of the notion of consumer empowerment and protection. How empowered are the consumers of the telecom services in Uganda? How many are educated about the clauses invoked to deactivate these SIM cards? How fair is the conclusion that only loading airtime qualifies a SIM card as active?
I questioned the essence of making clients provide lots of details, including e-mail addresses, next of kin and alternative phone numbers when registering for these SIM cards yet, the service providers never think beyond using such details to reach out to their clients! How many people have lost their SIM cards and mobile money balances because they never get notifications about the impending deactivation?
David Walugembe,
