Telecommunications operators in Nigeria, such as MTN, Airtel, and Globacom, among others, have been instructed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to enforce complete network barring on all phone lines whose subscribers have not provided their national identification numbers (NINs) by February 28, 2024.
Furthermore, even those who have submitted their NINs but remain unverified are to face full barring. MTN Nigeria conveyed this information in a notice to the Nigeria Stock Exchange.
Regarding submitted but unverified NINs, lines linked to such unverified NINs, numbering five or more, are to be barred by March 29, 2024. Similarly, lines linked to unverified NINs, totaling less than five, are to be barred by April 15, 2024.
The directive emphasizes that affected subscribers must undergo verification (biometrics and biodata) before their lines can be unbarred.
This recent directive follows the NCC’s earlier instruction on April 4, 2022, which mandated operators to limit outgoing calls (one-way barring) for subscribers whose lines lacked NIN links.
MTN has indicated that it is actively engaging with affected subscribers through various channels to prompt them to submit their NINs for verification. The company is also enhancing the capacity of its service outlets to streamline and improve the verification process. MTN expresses commitment to ensuring compliance with the NCC directive and collaborating with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to expedite the NIN verification process.
MTN, as a law-abiding corporate entity and in accordance with its operating license requirements, pledges to adhere to the industry-wide directive from the NCC. The company plans to provide further updates to investors on progress and potential impact with the release of its FY 2023 results.
MTN encourages all its subscribers who have not linked their NINs to their lines to take immediate action by visiting the nearest outlet or using digital channels before the specified deadlines. Individuals without a NIN are also urged to enroll at any of the NIMC’s enrollment centers nationwide.
The NIN-SIM Linkage exercise, initiated in December 2020, saw telecom operators lose over 20 million subscriptions initially, but they began recovering as more Nigerians registered for NIN. However, the new directive may lead to a further decline in operators’ databases from February onwards, as millions of currently restricted lines face full barring
Credit: NairaMetrics
