The regulator gazetted the Numbering Plan Fourth Amendment Regulations introducing a strict standardized framework governing exactly when and how telecommunications operators can disconnect inactive lines.
For years mobile users in South Africa have experienced the sudden frustration of a deactivated phone number. A prepaid SIM card left in an old tablet, a backup router, or a drawer for a few months could quietly vanish from the network, with its number recycled and assigned to a stranger without warning.
To curb this unpredictable practice, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has stepped in. The regulator gazetted the Numbering Plan Fourth Amendment Regulations introducing a strict standardized framework governing exactly when and how telecommunications operators can disconnect inactive lines.
As outlined in New rules on how operators can cut off your dormant Sim , the new ICASA dormant SIM regulations provide explicit legal definitions for what constitutes an inactive number. Under the framework, a prepaid mobile number is officially classified as inactive if it registers no “revenue-generating activity” for 90 consecutive calendar days.
ICASA defines revenue-generating activities as standard network interactions that keep a line financially viable, including placing voice calls, sending text messages (SMS or MMS),utilizing mobile data bundles and purchasing value-added services (VAS)
Notably, these rules apply exclusively to prepaid subscribers. Postpaid contract lines are entirely exempt from the automatic deactivation trigger, as their ongoing monthly billing cycles inherently maintain their active status.
The core objective of the amendment is consumer protection. Telcos are no longer permitted to abruptly purge numbers from their systems. Instead, they must guide the consumer through a multi-step notification window; If a prepaid SIM registers zero revenue-generating activity for 60 consecutive days, the network operator must formally notify the subscriber of its intent to deactivate the line. The notification initiates a mandatory 30-day window during which the subscriber can perform any revenue-generating activity to instantly halt the deactivation process.
Throughout this 30-day grace period, the operator must send at least two distinct reminders. Crucially, the final reminder must be sent the exact day before the number is scheduled to be switched off.
If the subscriber fails to act, the number is deactivated and placed into a strict one-month quarantine pool. This “cooling-off” period ensures that the number remains completely isolated across all networks, giving the previous owner a final chance to update their contact records with banks and digital services before the number is permanently recycled.
During the draft phase of the regulations, major operators attempted to insert clauses that favored their bottom lines. MTN and FNB Connect argued fiercely that they should be allowed to charge subscribers a nominal retention fee to keep a dormant line open such as when a customer travels abroad.
ICASA rejected the proposal, maintaining that the actual cost to a network for hosting an idle number is negligible. Under the finalized rules, subscribers can apply for a dormancy exemption of up to 183 days completely free of charge.
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South Africa’s major mobile operators including Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom Telecom have been granted a six-month transitional window to reconfigure their internal provisioning systems, network configurations and notification architectures.
With the rules expected to take full effect by January 2027, the move marks a significant victory for consumer rights, ensuring that a phone number remains a secure personal utility rather than a volatile corporate resource.
