TRA takes a stand on Bahrain's hoax calls

Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has decided to register close to 600,000 prepaid mobile SIM users with the aim of recording subscribers’ details and reducing the number of nuisance calls made by unregistered users.

As a measure of the extent of the problem, public security deputy chief Brig. Tariq Murabak bin Dayna confirmed in a press conference that nearly 500 people are currently awaiting prosecution for making hoax calls.

There are reportedly a million mobile users in Bahrain, of which nearly 60% are prepaid connections. According to Bahrain’s Gulf Daily, Alan Horne, general director of the TRA, commented that close to 600,000 Batelco and Zain mobile users were not listed.

Based on TRA’s decision, registration will commence on September 1 and end on December 31 with users providing a mandatory proof of identification.

Mobile users who don’t register will only be able to receive and make emergency calls from January 1, 2009.