In b.home.nl Frank
Slootweg wrote:

I don't think I *had* to register my Dutch SIM. They just *wanted*
you to register and gave you a bonus (free credit) if/when you did.
I *did* have to register my Australian Vodafone and Telstra SIMs, and
I had to (sort of) register myself when buying them. ("What's your
address in Australia?". Duh! I'm a bloody furrin tourist, ain't I?


I travelled to Norway last year and for the first time decided to take a
phone with me, so I borrowed an unlocked GSM phone from a friend.

Thinking I was being clever, I bought a pre-paid Netcom Norway SIM card
from an outfit I found on the Web, so I'd have a working phone as soon
as I got to Bergen.

When I turned on the phone, I almost immediately received a text message
from Netcom telling me to reply with my name and birthday to register
the phone. Of course, since I wasn't a Norwegian citizen, they couldn't
find me in their database (the phone company has immediate access to
such data?) and the registration failed. I was able to talk to Netcom
customer service though, and was told I'd have to go to a retail outlet
with my passport and register before they'd turn the phone on.

The clerk there told me this was a relatively new (at the time)
requirement, apparently based on anti-terrorism laws.

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN