Gemalto pioneers SIM Reactivation solution as GSMA reports 78% prepaid SIM market in Africa

Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, announces LinqUs SIM Reactivation, the world’s first solution for real-time reactivation of dormant SIMs that allows operators to seamlessly reconnect lost prepaid subscribers at a fraction of normal acquisition costs.

Gemalto’s innovative platform is designed to support customer experience management strategies by easing the reacquisition process. Lapsed subscribers can simply reuse their old SIM to instantly rejoin a network, anytime and anywhere.

LinqUs SIM Reactivation automatically detects and reactivates customers trying to use an expired SIM. It also retains churned subscribers’ profile data, giving operators the opportunity to propose tailor-made offers, such as voice/data plans and phone number selection, based on detailed understanding of individual requirements. The whole process is performed in real-time via intuitive screen menus to ensure a smooth subscriber journey.


LinqUs SIM Reactivation is a solid and scalable platform that provides full customization and easy integration with operators’ systems and processes. It is built on a proven Gemalto-owned signaling platform successfully deployed across 135 countries – signaling platforms connect applications to the network to manage user communications. It is ideally suited to heavily prepaid markets such as Africa, Latin America or South Asia where users hop between operators and reacquiring lost customers is a costly exercise. According to a Gemalto survey, 76% of operators interviewed agree that real time reactivation of dormant SIMs with incentive offers is key to regain users.

Research by GSMA reports that in Africa alone 78% of the SIM market is prepaid. The research findings also prove that there is a challenge with multi SIMs on the continent. In Africa as a whole, there are 1.62 SIM cards registered per user. In southern Africa this increases further – with 2,34 SIM cards per unique user, meaning that the average user in South Africa is juggling up to three SIM cards.

“Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in Africa are faced with significant challenges as a result. How do they retain customers in such a competitive environment? How can they “re-connect” with former customers, and reactivate their SIMs on the network,” says Sherry Zameer, Senior Vice President, Africa Sales. “Gemalto’s solution will enable MNOs to do just that – seamlessly”. As such, the company is expecting significant uptake both in the country and on the continent as subscriber retention can be directly improved through this far more effective customer experience management (CEM). CEM is one of the key challenges facing mobile network operators. According to recent research by Ernst & Young, 68% of senior industry executives consider CEM their number one strategic priority.