You can now RICA your SIM cards online

Vodacom and Rain consumers can RICA their sim-cards online, while MTN promises to improve RICA service in the near future.

• RICA stands for the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act
• All SIM cards in the country must be registered with a user’s personal details such as residential address and ID number
• Online registration allows customers to avoid queues
• Vodacom was the first telecommunications company to make use of online RICA in 2018, but this was only used to verify and update RICA information of existing customers
• Similar to an instore-RICA, consumers are required to have a valid South African identity document and a proof of residence that is no more than 3 months old
• MTN has pledged to partner with the Department of Home Affairs to leverage digital databases and biometric authentication to improve the process
• Cell C and Telkom do not allow for online RICA, with no plans in the near future to release the functionality