Egypt sends mobile operators to prosecution over identity misuse

CAIRO – Egypt’s telecoms regulator has referred all four mobile phone operators in the country to the Public Prosecution over violations involving mobile lines registered using citizens’ personal details without their knowledge or possession, it said on Monday.

The move follows a wave of complaints from Egyptians who discovered that mobile numbers had been registered in their names and against their national identity details without their knowledge. The revelations have raised concerns that people could face legal consequences for crimes committed using lines officially registered to them.

The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA), the government body that has regulated Egypt’s telecommunications sector since 2003, said it had examined complaints and conducted inspections over the past two days before referring the four operators for investigation.

The authority said the examination had resulted in the collection of evidence, documents and other material related to the cases.

The four operators serving Egypt are Orange Egypt, Vodafone Egypt, e& Egypt and Telecom Egypt’s WE.

The regulator did not identify individual companies as being responsible for specific cases, nor did it disclose how many lines were allegedly registered without their owners’ knowledge.

The issue gained widespread attention after a number of Egyptians said on social media that they had discovered, often by chance, that additional mobile lines had been registered under their names. Some said they had filed police reports to establish that they had no connection to the lines and to protect themselves from potential legal liability.

The concerns are particularly serious in Egypt because mobile numbers are increasingly tied to financial and government services. Telecom operators offer electronic wallets linked to mobile numbers that can be used to send and receive money, while banks, government services, utility payments and traffic-related services can also be connected to individuals’ phone numbers as part of Egypt’s wider digital transformation programme.

That means a mobile line registered under the wrong person’s identity can carry consequences beyond ordinary telecommunications use, potentially creating financial, legal and security risks for the person whose details were used.

One case that has drawn attention is that of student Amr Emara, who found himself facing a life sentence in a drugs case after a mobile line bearing his name and national identity number was allegedly used without his knowledge. His case has fuelled fears among other citizens that they could become entangled in criminal investigations because a line they do not possess is officially registered in their name.

The NTRA said it had responded by introducing a package of urgent measures designed to tighten the registration system, verify the identities of the people actually possessing mobile lines and prevent similar cases from recurring.

Under the new measures, operators have been ordered to stop the sale or activation of new lines through their systems to companies, institutions and organisations, whether in the private or public sector.

The regulator has also instructed the operators to send text messages to all existing lines registered in their systems, informing the people who actually possess those lines that they must visit an operator branch and sign new contracts in their own names.

Lines that are not regularised within the specified period will ultimately be permanently cancelled, according to the regulatory measures.

The NTRA also ordered operators to accelerate the introduction of biometric identity verification for line holders through their electronic applications.

The system is intended to provide a more secure way of confirming the identity of the actual user while allowing citizens to identify and take action over any numbers registered under their names that they do not possess.

The regulator said it would continue monitoring the operators’ compliance with the measures and warned that it would take action against companies violating the rules governing the sale, registration and activation of mobile lines.

Possible sanctions include suspending the sale and activation of new lines by a company, in addition to referring cases to the Public Prosecution.

The authority said protecting users’ rights and personal data, and ensuring the integrity of mobile-line registration procedures, were fundamental priorities.

Egypt has one of the region’s largest mobile telecommunications markets. The Communications and Information Technology Ministry estimated that the number of mobile subscribers stood at around 123 million at the end of December.

The scale of the market means that tightening registration procedures could affect millions of existing lines and place greater pressure on operators to verify the identities of their actual users.

The regulator’s decision also highlights the growing importance of accurate identity verification as Egypt expands its use of digital services. Mobile numbers have increasingly become gateways to banking, electronic payments and government services, making the link between a subscriber’s identity and the person actually controlling a line more consequential.

For citizens who have discovered unexpected numbers registered under their names, the immediate issue is establishing that they neither requested nor possessed the lines. For the authorities, the challenge is to ensure that the registration system prevents the misuse of personal data while allowing legitimate users to maintain uninterrupted access to their services.

The NTRA said it would closely monitor implementation of the new rules and would not tolerate violations of the procedures governing the registration and activation of mobile lines.