The American Samoa TeleCommunications Authority will start disconnecting today, hundreds of ASTCA prepaid cell phone numbers with “no activity” - meaning have not been e-charged for calling out - going back some three years ago.

This is according to ASTCA board chairman and current interim chief executive Rep. Pulele’iite Liamatua Tufele.

At last Friday’s cabinet meeting, Pulele’iite made the official announcement of ASTCA’s plans, saying that some 8,000 prepaid cell phone numbers have had “no activity in the past two to three years. In other words, the number is still active, but the cell phone has not been e-charged for a very long time and the phone is only used to receive incoming calls, but no call going out.”

He said the government, through ASTCA, is not getting any revenue through e-charge from these cell phones and therefore, ASTCA will start disconnecting these numbers, which will then be available to other people wanting ASTCA cell phones.

Pulele’iite wanted the cabinet to know in advance of ASTCA’s plans because once they start disconnecting these phones, cabinet members will be getting calls from the public seeking help to get their numbers reactivated.

Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga supports ASTCA’s move, saying that this practice of only using the cell phone to receive calls without getting any revenues through e-charging is not right. He said this practice is holding up cell phone numbers that could be assigned to other customers through which ASTCA can earn revenue through e-charge.

When asked after the cabinet meeting, if there are any current policies that will have ASTCA take back cell phone numbers which have “no activitiy” for lengthy periods of time, Pulele’iite said there is no current policy, but they are moving to implement a new one.

He explained that prepaid minutes a person e-charges on a prepaid phone is valid for 60-days, which is the standard rule.

But under the new policy to be implemented, 90-days after the expiration of the 60-day period and the phone has “no activity - you haven’t e-charged again - then we ‘temp-hold’ your phone [number]” and ASTCA will disconnect outgoing calls “and allow you incoming [calls],” he explained.

Then, “120-days, still no activities, just incoming [calls], we disconnect permanently,” and the number will be put back into the pool available for other customers, he said.

The disconnection process for the 8,000 prepaid phone numbers is slated to start today and Pulele’iite said the process will take about three to five days because ASTCA currently does not have a computer auto system that would disconnect the numbers all at one time.

“We’re working on an auto system, hopefully by August the system will be there. And the system will be tracking your activity,” Pulele'iite explained. “Once you reach the 90-days [with no activities], then we will send you a SMS, to ‘please e-charge’, or in 120-days we’re going to disconnect you,” he continued.

Pulele'iite said the 8,000 cell phone numbers, if they have activity, would bring in revenue for ASTCA.

Instead, customers “are using it just to receive calls.”

He said, “Imagine all these 8,000 [phone numbers] coming back on, and just buy a $2 card to e-charge? That’s a lot of money.”

Pulele’iite acknowledged that once the disconnection process begins there would be customers coming back to ASTCA to reactivate their cell phone number.

The big question, or mystery, at this point, is why someone would get a cell phone that is used only for incoming calls for two to three years.