East African countries including South Sudan are working to reach a common SIM card registration framework to help control crime using mobile phones.

Officials from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan met in Nairobi on Thursday to discuss the move.

Regulators and information communication ministers of Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan met to harmonize the different legal and regulatory frameworks for SIM card registration.

According to the Kenyan Daily Nation Newspaper, a joint statement that brought the discussions into play, states that the four countries would interconnect their national identification systems.

It says the ID cards will then be linked to SIM cards of mobile users as in the case of Kenya.

In the new arrangement, Uganda for instance, will recognize a Kenyan registered SIM card from its end and trace the owner in case it is used to commit crime.

“The harmonized framework will help tackle fraud likely to be experienced as the countries strive to collectively realize financial inclusions for their citizens,” Joseph Tiampati, Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Principal Secretary said.

Plans for cross-border SIM card harmonization are part of the One Network Area agreement by the four countries.