Owners of cell phones operating on prepaid cards, rather than those acquired by contract, will henceforth be obliged to submit their personal details, in accordance with a law passed earlier this year to curb terrorism and crime.

Those who already have prepaid cell phones must submit their details to the retailer where they purchased the device by July 2010, a deadline that was imposed by the aforementioned law but has not been enforced. The details required include the holder’s name, address and number of their identification card or passport. Owners must also present their subscriber identity module (SIM) card.

The regulation also applies to new purchases of prepaid cell phones. Authorities decided to retract the previous anonymity enjoyed by owners of prepaid cell phones when it emerged that crime rings used them to plot their activities.