South Africa’s communications regulator has finalised new rules for how mobile operators switch off and recycle dormant phone numbers, with fresh protection for subscribers who risk losing a number without warning.
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) published the Numbering Plan Fourth Amendment Regulations, 2025, on 2 July 2026. They set a single, standardised framework across all operators for managing churn, deactivation and the recycling of inactive mobile numbers.
A finite resource
Phone numbers are a limited national resource, and idle ones tie up capacity that could be reissued. ICASA says the amendments are intended to ensure numbers are used efficiently, support the long-term sustainability of the numbering plan, and provide operators with regulatory clarity on when a number may be reclaimed.
The consumer side is the headline. Subscribers must be given a reasonable opportunity to retain their numbers before deactivation, a safeguard against people losing a number, and the banking, two-factor logins and contacts tied to it, without adequate notice.
“These amended Regulations aim to standardise how mobile numbers are managed across all operators and protect consumers from losing access to their mobile numbers without adequate notice,” said Councillor Cathrine Mushi, chairperson of ICASA’s Numbering Resources Committee.
Six months to comply
The regulations are made under Section 68 of the Electronic Communications Act, 2005. Operators have a six-month transitional period from publication in the Government Gazette to make the necessary network and system changes.
It is the latest tightening of the plumbing behind South African mobile numbers, following work to smooth number portability and a wider ICASA push to modernise the rules that govern the sector. For subscribers, the practical test will be whether the promised notice periods are long enough and clear enough to prevent active users from being caught out.
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