Cell Number Recycling

[aggressiveGrey]

My daughter is planning to go overseas for a year and we would like to keep her number active.

I've been reading that ICASA has a regulation that inactivity after 90 days will result in the number being recycled.

I asked in store at Vodacom, they said contract sims don't get recyced regardless.

So

A) is this true

And

B) is there any provider that doesn't do this or offers a service where you pay to keep your number.

Feels like a waste paying R100 a month on contract to keep it active

 

[G.A.S]

My daughter is planning to go overseas for a year and we would like to keep her number active.

I've been reading that ICASA has a regulation that inactivity after 90 days will result in the number being recycled.

I asked in store at Vodacom, they said contract sims don't get recyced regardless.

So

A) is this true

And

B) is there any provider that doesn't do this or offers a service where you pay to keep your number.

Feels like a waste paying R100 a month on contract to keep it active

MTN has a service "Access4Life Xtender" that will keep a number alive as long as there is balance available.

MTN South Africa

www.mtn.co.za

Access4Life Xtender
• If a customer plans to travel outside South Africa and won’t be using their SIM card for a while but still wants to keep their mobile number active, they can use the Access4Life Xtender service. By paying R5, the customer can extend their Access4Life period by an additional 90 days. This extension ensures the number remains connected to the MTN network even after the initial 90-day period has expired.
• The service is activated by calling 136, and following the self-service voice prompts in the main menu. (Not 100% sure if I did this with my data SIM or used a USSD code)

NB that you probably have to consider something to prevent SIM swaps at the same time.

 

[Rickster]

Keep the sim with you, load airtime and make some calls every couple of months?

 

[Mirai]

Keep the sim with you, load airtime and make some calls every couple of months?

Do you need to make some calls? Maybe sending one SMS will suffice?

 

[Rumple4skin]

Can't be 90 days because I have a Capitec sim which I use when I'm in SA and for that it's 180 days. I always go more than 90 days without using it. I think it's true what Vodacom said about contract sims.

Just buy her a prepaid sim, port in her current number, and keep it with you so you can use it every 6 months to keep it active? Her WhatsApp number can still stay the same with a new sim from abroad.

 

[Rickster]

Do you need to make some calls? Maybe sending one SMS will suffice?

Rather call yourself for a minute or two.

 

[Mirai]

Rather call yourself for a minute or two.

I know that one SMS is enough for European providers. YMMV.