Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) has ordered Mobile Network Operators in Nigeria to stop the sale and registration of SIM cards. All Mobile Network Operators including the big shots, MTN Nigeria, Glo, Airtel, 9Mobile are all included.
This order was given by the NCC after the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to embark on another audit of the Subscriber Registration Database again.
The audit is to make sure that all Mobile Network Operators in the country are in line with the rules and regulations of SIM Card Registration as issued by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the Commission.
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In a concluding statement in their website, NCC said; “Mobile network operators are hereby directed to immediately suspend the sale, registration and activation of new SIM cards until the audit exercise is concluded”.
Johannesburg-based MTN’s local unit, the West African country’s biggest wireless operator, said it had complied with the directive, according to a notice it sent to customers.
The likes of MTN Nigeria, Glo, Airtel are all expected to be in line with the regulations and rules. But for now, all SIM card registration is placed on hold till further notice.
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No one can tell how long this audit exercise by the NCC will take but checking through the databases of these Mobile Network Operators won’t be done in a day or two.
This has no effect on existing customers though. All existing customers of these Mobile Network Operators will continue to enjoy the services of these network providers.
You can go about buying data, buying airtime, making calls, sending text messages and browsing the internet as usual. Good thing is, this audit will be done without having to disrupt network services in the country.
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If NCC should see any default from any of the companies, they are likely to be fined and in worse case scenario withdraw their license. This won’t be the first time NCC is fining a network provider in Nigeria.
The NCC fined MTN in 2015 for failing to disconnect undocumented SIM cards as part of a security crackdown. The matter was resolved a year later when the company paid 330 billion naira ($839 million) after extensive negotiations.
Back in 2015, NCC fined MTN for failing to disconnect undocumented SIM cards as part of security crackdown. Report has it that MTN paid 330 billion Naira ($839 million) after long negotiations to resolve the said issue.
We hope this audit by NCC is done swiftly without issues. For more updates follow us on Twitter and Instagram @techarenaz24_.
