How many SIMs Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, Cell C, and Rain allow you to RICA on one ID number

Jan

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How many SIMs you can have on Vodacom, MTN, and other mobile networks

South Africa's mobile networks have widely varying limits for how many SIM cards can be registered in the name of one person — ranging from 10 to unlimited.

The Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-related Information Act (RICA) determines that all SIM cards sold in South Africa must be registered before being active on a mobile network.
 
The first SIM on each phone is MTN prepaid, which offers a competitive per-second voice billing rate.
The second is on Afrihost Air Mobile, which has some of the best mobile data prices on the market. Air Mobile is an MVNO that roams on MTN’s network.
Click to expand...
A single MTN sim card does both.
 
What's the requirement for keeping a SIM active these days? I haven't gotten a non-usage SMS in eons and my habits haven't changed.
 
I went to MTN to get a contract, but they had to register a MTN sim to my name before porting me to their network. But apparently I had reached my limit of 10 RICA sims (I assume from old Neotel and Telkom LTE packages I was signed up to over the decades). Told them to unregister all my RICA numbers except my current number. Was told they can't do that. Asked them what can they do? Can I now never be on the MTN network for the rest of my life? Asked why no other network has this self-imposed RICA limit? Got blank stares in return. It's like MTN hates their customers. Eventually took emails to head office and two business days to get an "exception" for me.
 
The South African MNOs have "rules" that are stuck in the 90s. :laugh: Anywhere else in the world, there are customers with over 1,000,000 esims registered, like electricity and water utilities and other billing schemes, traffic lights, outdoor advertising, farming activities, industrial giants.
Need to catch a wake-up.
 
Big Corporate Companies can have 100+ sims for their employees phones, tablets, data modems, etc. The Company I worked for all had sims for their workers phones as well as premicell numbers all owned and paid for by the Company.
 
In my experience this limit doesn't apply just to current / active SIMs, it is the total number of time you have ever RICA'ed with MTN. I have had numerous contract with them over the years, including for my family, and at a point when I had no active contracts I ran into this problem. "You've been a loyal client, but we don't want any more of your business, thanks". I was told an affidavit would fix it, but wasn't told what that affidavit should say, so I'm glad I didn't waste my time with that!
 
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