• Mauritania’s telecom regulator has formally notified Mattel, Mauritel, and Chinguitel over breaches in subscriber identification procedures.

• The regulator has given operators two months to comply before imposing sanctions, including license suspension or withdrawal.

• Financial penalties may reach up to 3% of annual turnover, or 5% in case of repeat violations.

Mauritania’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARE) announced on Thursday, Jan. 15, that it had issued formal notices to telecom operators Mattel, Mauritel, and Chinguitel. The regulator cited failures identified during inspections related to established subscriber identification procedures. ARE granted the operators a two-month deadline, after which sanctions may apply.

“At the end of this period, an inspection will be carried out to verify that each operator’s subscriber base complies with the identification procedures in force,” the telecom regulator said.

Under Mauritanian law, telecom operators must carry out biometric identification of subscribers across the entire national territory. Operators must condition the sale, marketing, or activation of any SIM, USIM, eSIM, or other electronic communications access device on prior identification. Operators must also protect subscribers’ personal data collected during the identification process.

Failure to comply with these obligations exposes operators, at an initial stage, to a formal notice. If non-compliance persists after the deadline, ARE may impose sanctions ranging from total or partial suspension of licenses or authorizations to reductions in their duration or scope, or even permanent withdrawal. The regulator may also suspend, reduce, or withdraw rights to use allocated frequencies or numbering resources, including in part of the affected geographic area.

In addition, ARE may impose a financial penalty proportionate to the severity of the breach. The fine may not exceed 3% of the operator’s annual turnover excluding taxes, with the ceiling rising to 5% in the event of repeat offenses. If turnover cannot be determined due to a lack of activity, the penalty is capped at 10 million ouguiyas, or about $251,320, rising to 20 million ouguiyas in the event of a further violation.

As in many African countries, Mauritanian authorities have increased pressure on telecom operators in recent years to strengthen subscriber identification. Authorities have framed the policy as a matter of “national and citizen security” amid a rise in mobile-based fraud. In October 2023, ARE ordered the deactivation of SIM cards that lacked biometric identification. Mauritania currently counts about 6.37 million mobile subscriptions, according to DataReportal.

This article was initially published in French by Isaac K. Kassouwi

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum