We Are Committed to End Use of Pre-registered SIM Cards, Says NCC

We Are Committed to End Use of Pre-registered SIM Cards, Says NCC

Christopher Isiguzo and Gideon Arinze in Enugu

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday in Enugu reaffirmed its commitment to end the sale and usage of pre-registered SIM cards in the telecommunication industry.

NCC through its South-east Zonal Controller, Mrs. Emilia Nwokoro, made the disclosure during a courtesy visit to the zonal office of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu.

Nwokoro, who described the usage of such SIM cards as a crime, said anyone who is caught selling pre-registered cards would be arrested and prosecuted.

According to her, the commission had started to mop up pre-registered SIM cards in the zone and advised subscribers with such cards to ensure that they completed the registration process.

She appealed to subscribers to always buy and register their SIM cards in controlled environments.

“The sale and usage of pre-registered SIM cards are illegal and that is why we are mopping up such cards. Our enforcement team is already in the field clamping down on those selling such cards by the roadside,” she said.

The zonal controller said NCC as a telecom regulator was saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the sector did not aid criminal activities.

On complaints of poor network service, Nwokoro said subscribers were at liberty to take advantage of mobile number portability to get better service from any network of their choices.

“When a subscriber is not satisfied with the telecom operator, he has the right to port and this affords him the opportunity to change to any network of his choice while retaining his original number,” she said.

She called on subscribers to take advantage of NCC’s toll-free lines to send complaints about poor services in the sector to the commission.

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