The Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communications-related Information Act (RICA) of 2002 requires SAs cellular networks and service providers to record and keep information about the ownership of every cell phone in operation. The Act, which came into full effect in November last year, requires a record of the cell number, handset number and the full name, ID number and addresses of every cellphone owner to be captured within 12 months.
 
The task of finding and recording every one of the countrys estimated 30m prepaid cellphone users is daunting, with a cost that has been estimated at R300m. Transport is expensive, and many prepaid users will consider making a verification visit costly and time-consuming, even if they know about the Act and want to comply, notes Emerge Africa CEO, Jean Moncrieff. And filing or capturing paper documents such as handwritten forms and photocopied ID books will create a data nightmare, as the banks discovered with the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA).
 
Instead, Emerge Africa and Mobile-Sat plan to send satellite communication vans, linked directly to the networks databases, around the country to gather and capture user data at the source, using Global 360s business process management solutions.
 
The Mobile-SAT trucks can go anywhere, no matter how remote, and set up a live link via satellite to a networks system in minutes, explains Mobile-Sats Michael Walk. All they need is a view of the sky. The trucks are self-powered and have been equipped with the computer hardware required for customers to access their RICA applications.
 
Electronic data capture, says Moncrieff, is the key. It is quite easy to capture information directly to the networks core systems, avoiding all the problems of lost documents and unreadable forms. We have already developed similar systems to help the banks implement FICA and can apply that experience directly in this case.