Telecommunications businesses who disregard the mandate to block Subscriber Identity Module cards that aren’t connected to National Identification Numbers would be subject to penalties, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission.
Newsmen were informed by NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Mouka.
Mouka claims that telecom carriers are required by the regulatory direction to comply, and that failure to do so will result in penalties.
“Whether the telcos have started complying or not is not an issue,” the NCC Director declared. Our request has been to connect the SIM cards to NIN. We anticipate compliance with the guidelines that we have issued. So, sanctions would be applied if there was any proof of non-compliance.
Mouka responded, “We can’t say this is the time we would begin to start sanctioning,” when asked when this sanction would start. A regulatory procedure is also needed for that. However, noncompliance will result in sanctions for any operator.
The telecom regulator had requested in December that telecoms block almost 12 million lines that are not associated with the owners’ NINs once the deadline of February 28, 2024, has passed.
The NCC rejected extending the deadline and restated its position on the subject on Wednesday.
In order to disconnect SIM cards that aren’t connected to NIN, the telecom companies that spoke with our correspondent sided with the regulator.
Telecommunications companies would follow the NCC’s instruction, according to Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria.
It’s possible that 12 million SIM cards are unconnected to NIN, according to Adebayo. Several of these SIM cards are compatible with WiFi and modems.
By midnight today, services associated with those numbers that are not correctly linked to NIN will be terminated, per regulatory directives. We will comply, since we stand by that regulatory directive.
When the federal government, acting through the NCC, ordered telcos to stop blocking calls from unregistered and unlinked NINs, the mandatory linking went into effect in December 2020.
Despite extensions made since then, more than 12 million SIM cards are still not connected to NIN.
The FG’s decision to make phone number linkage mandatory was made in an effort to strengthen national security. The goal of the directive was to accelerate the identification procedure and enhance responsibility for people connected to certain phone numbers.
In order to make it easier to identify line owners and enable efficient monitoring and matching of these numbers, the government has limited the registration of up to four SIMs to a single NIN.
By holding people accountable for actions connected to their registered lines, the limitation aims to fight crime and strengthen security against illegal operations including terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping.
Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman, addressed the difficulties caused by pre-registered or unlawfully registered SIM cards earlier this month, noting that this has been a persistent problem.
Additionally, he said that the regulation will support the sector by enabling data-driven decision-making.
“You are going to see a change in our decision-making process; we will be heavily reliant on data,” the EVC declared. We will use data to support all of our decisions as much as feasible. Our goal is to minimize subjectivity and make wise choices that will advance the sector.
We want to make sure that all of our licensees provide quality services. We will keep our licensees accountable to make sure they fulfill their license responsibilities because, in the end, customers pay for the services and expect them to be at a specific quality or point.
Restoring smiles to the faces of our customers is imperative. The NCC is clear that safeguarding consumer interests is vital. Since that is where values are extracted, they continue to hold the top spot. The interests of authorized operators will, however, continue to be safeguarded as we monitor their operations to gauge compliance.