Many African governments believe that the registration of SIM cards will reduce such criminal activities and handset theft, and make it easy for authorities to crack down on criminals.

Telecom operators are already claiming that the move would work against the universal access principle and add to the cost of SIM cards, as vendors would have to invest in data-capturing machines.

Amos Ferranti, communications manager for the southern African mobile communication agency, said SIM card registration will have a number of challenges as many service providers are not prepared.

"Several operators are definitely not prepared for [this] strenuous exercise, as many subscribers subscribe with two or more different networks," Ferranti said.

Many operators in Africa claim that attempts to register in-bound roamers will have a negative impact on foreign currency inflows, owing to muted use of roaming facilities occasioned by the introduction of SIM card registration regulations, as tourists will be shying away from such registration.