DAMMAM, 26 January 2003 — Are you sure that the cellular phone you are using is registered in your name?
Well, don’t be surprised if the answer is no.
Saudi Telecom Company has started investigating the legality of many SAWA mobile connections. It has discovered that many connections, though sold by authorized agents, were irregular and did not match the iqama details of the subscribers. Hundreds of subscribers are still not aware of this.
Abdullah Kutty, an Indian national, found his cell phone was no longer working.
He recharged his telephone with a prepaid card a few hours previously and had a balance of SR98. SAWA disconnected him. “I lost both my connection charge of SR200 and the SR98,” he said. He insists that when he applied for SAWA service he attached a copy of his iqama with the application form.
Muhammad Saeed, another Indian told a similar story. Saeed checked with the STC and found that the cellular connection he was using was not in his name. He purchased a SAWA connection through an authorized agent and called 902 to check whether the connection was in his name and discovered it was not.
STC officials say that when the SAWA cards were launched, some agents obtained several connections on a single iqama. Thus, many illegal connections were given out. STC is now checking all remaining SAWA connections. Already, hundreds of connections have been cut and more disconnections are likely to follow.
“Innocent subscribers who did nothing wrong are being penalized for the illegal actions of agents,” said Muhammad Saeed. “Any legal action should be directed at them.”
Many subscribers feel that STC should have informed subscribers with illegal connections of their position and given them time to regularize it.
Certainly in the present times it is risky to connect incorrectly identified subscribers as it poses a security risk to both the country and the individual whose name is associated with it.
STC is doing a right thing to cross check connections. It should however keep in mind the interest of hundreds of innocent subscribers who unwillingly became victims of unscrupulous agents.
