A Papua New Guinea MP has won a court stay order on the national deadline for registration of SIM cards.
Sim cards Photo: 123RF
One point four million mobile device users across PNG who had yet to register would have been deactivated today as a deadline imposed by the National Information and Communications Technology Authority passed.
The deadline is a requirement for PNG's almost 3 million SIM card holders under regulations of 2016 and had previously been extended by the government.
But yesterday a national court consented to Madang MP Bryan Kramer's application for interim orders to prevent the Authority deactivating unregistered SIM cards.
Mr Kramer said he filed his application after health workers told him services to rural people would suffer.
The MP said he was not challenging the Authority's right to impose SIM registration.
"I am however challenging the manner in which it is imposing on 87 percent of our population who reside in remote and rural parts of our country and the effect it would have on their daily lives," he explained.
Deactivation of the SIM card users is stayed for 14 days, during which time Mr Kramer is expected to decide on whether to file formal proceedings against the Authority and the State.