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For those who haven’t yet registered their UAE mobile numbers, today is the last day to do so as service operators will begin disconnecting unregistered numbers from tomorrow onwards.

The UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) had in July 2012 announced the launch of the “My Number, My Identity” campaign in collaboration with the two licensees (Etisalat and du) to increase awareness on the new registration procedures aimed to organise registration processes and requirements for mobile phone services provided by the licensees.

During a study that TRA had conducted in 2012, it said it noticed that many of mobile subscribers in the country had been passing on their SIM cards to other users. Consequently, this had resulted in problems for the actual owners of these numbers, the TRA noted.

The Authority’s campaign highlighted the importance of the mobile subscribers’ role to protect their SIM cards to maintain their privacy. It mandates that the SIM cards should not be given out to other users to avoid any misuse that may occur since the registered owner of the number will be legally and financially accountable.

The TRA had then outlined an 18-month timeframe covering 6 different phases to ensure that all of the users successfully complete their registration.

That timeframe has now come to an end, with today being the last day when users can register their mobile numbers or face disconnection from tomorrow onwards.

Ayman Eldessouky, Chief Sales Officer, Etisalat, said: “Etisalat’s business strategy is aimed at service excellence that guarantees customer satisfaction. Registration of mobile numbers is a crucial step towards preventing the global threat of identity theft and misuse. We have extended all necessary support to the TRA by introducing new channels for registration and adding new partners to ease the process for customers.

“Only a small percentage of our customers are yet to comply with the mandatory requirement,” he said.

If you are among that small percentage of customers – time has almost run out and you will need to act right now to avoid disconnection.