New legislation in Kazakhstan requires all mobile phones to be registered with a government database, according to mobile service providers in the Central Asian country.
The requirement is apparently aimed at helping combat terrorism.
Two major providers, Kcell and Beeline, said on January 25 that all unregistered mobile phones will be blocked as of July 1.
The companies said the requirement is a result of legislation against extremism and terrorism that was adopted on December 22.
They said the Kazakh Ministry of Information and Communications is currently creating a database of mobile phones using their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers.
Tajikistan, another former Soviet republic in Central Asia, adopted a law in November obliging mobile phone owners to register their devices, citing the need to "to boost the fight against crime."
