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IMANI Ghana, a policy think-tank says the directive of the National Communications Authority (NCA) to deactivate unregistered SIM cards is catastrophic. According to the group, �The 5.2 million subscribers, who according to the NCA, have invalid registrations either due to fake identification documents or other human error in the process of registration and the estimated 2 million unregistered SIM subscribers render the imminent deactivation of all unregistered subscribers a potential catastrophe to the nation.� IMANI Ghana noted that not only does the deactivation of unregistered SIM cards by June 30 represent an infringement of an individual�s right to communicate but poses as a hindrance to development of the telecommunication sector, an essential ingredient of the mandate of NCA and the government, as well as a loss in revenue to the state and a potential source of disenfranchisement and destabilization since the SIM card is also an important economic tool in the country.� The group made this known at a panel discussion themed �Possible relaxation of threat to deactivate mobile phones � legal and institutional and developmental implications of extending SIM registration.� Kofi Bentil, Vice President of IMANI Ghana, in his address, said the processes and requirements for the SIM card exercise are cumbersome in a way. �The exercise could have been done in a more simple way, where long queues would have been avoided. �Customers with access to the internet could have easily gone to the website of their operator and just keyed in the necessary details on their required identification cards.� He noted that in as much as the group is not against the SIM card registration exercise, it believes that the right thing should be done instead of depriving subscribers the chance of using their SIM cards through no fault of theirs. Mr. Bentil said an extension of the exercise will among other things allow for a mop up exercise, re-regularizing of customers whose registrations had not been validated, and give room for a redesign of the registration process. Franklin Cudjoe, Founding President of IMANI said �it will also be beneficial for the state regulator, the NCA to extend the deadline for SIM card registration since a mass deactivation on June 30th will mean that revenue for the state through the Communications Service Tax and other related telecom taxes such as corporate taxes will be affected. �The curtailment of services will only disenfranchise consumers who have actually paid in full for services that they require and demand, being the right to communicate on a mobile network,� Mr. Cudjoe added. Robert Nii Arday Clegg, Managing Partner, Clegg & Associates, who also spoke on the legal implication of the deactivation process, said it is an extreme measure which infringes on the human rights of customers. There were contributions from representatives of the various telecommunications companies, journalists and other stakeholders on the topic. However, there was no representative from the NCA, even though they were invited.