The two mobile phone operators in Papua New Guinea have been warned to register the details of their local subscribers.
The Post Courier reports Digicel and Bmobile are required by law to also ask subscribers to show some form of identification before buying a SIM card.
National Information and Communication Technology Authority chief executive Charles Punaha says subscribers have until 2018 to complete SIM card registrations or their accounts would be deactivated.
Mr Punaha says service providers would be fined US$15,000 for every unregistered SIM card user in 2018.
The new measures are being implemented in the light of what he says is rampant abuse of mobile phones and criminal activities, especially anonymous calls on prepaid and pre-activated SIM cards.
