Telephone service providers have two weeks from midnight tonight to terminate the services of those who have not registered their phones or face the consequences under the Telephone services decree.
Under the decree the telephone and mobile service providers have until midnight tonight to register their customers or have no other choice but to terminate their services after two weeks.
Vodafone Fiji Limited, Digicel Fiji, Inkk mobile and Telecom Fiji have confirmed that they will not able to register all their customers as they continue to race against time.
They are now contemplating their next course of action to ensure customers can continue to enjoy their services.
Under the Telephone services decree, there is a mandatory requirement for all land line and mobile phones to be registered failing which the lines are to be terminated.
Under the decree, any person who breaches the decree shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $10,000 or imprisonment of six months.
Any service provider which fails to cancel the service within two weeks shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a maximum fine of $200,000.
The government has stressed that the adoption of this law will create a more secure environment for the use of telephones and will also combat the rising number of prank calls to emergency numbers which have the effect of diverting and wasting government resources on "emergencies" that do not exist.
One extension was already granted last month when the operators could not meet the deadline and Minister for Communication Aiyaz Sayed Khiayum earlier stressed that there will be no further extensions.
Story by: Shalvin Deo
