Emma Okonji
Telecoms operators have concluded the first phase of Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card disconnection, with plans to begin the second phase disconnection on March 31, THISDAY learnt yesterday.
It followed the disconnection of 42 million SIM cards in five days, beginning from February 28, according to directives from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and spokesperson for Telcos, Gbenga Adebayo, who spoke yesterday, told THISDAY in a telephone conversation that the Telcos had concluded on the first phase of disconnection of 42 million SIM cards.
According to him, the disconnected 42 million SIM cards were registered before 2022 to devices such as Mifi and Tablets, but the subscribers who registered the SIMs, failed to submit their NIN for those registered SIMs.
He however said the second phase of SIM card disconnection, which would begin March 31, would be focused on subscribers who submitted their NIN but the name on the NIN did not correspond with the names on the multiple SIM cards that are linked to the NIN.
“All SIM cards without NIN have been disconnected, and it took us five days to disconnect 42 million of such SIM cards, according to the regulatory directive from NCC.
“We expect affected subscribers to provide their NIN, verify it with their SIM registration records, in order to get their SIM cards re-connected. This is the first phase of disconnection.
“The second phase disconnection, which will begin March 31, will be focused on those that submitted their NIN, but the name on the NIN did not match with the names on the multiple SIM cards that are already attached to the NIN,” Adebayo said.
He explained that telecoms operators have commenced sensitising subscribes by sending them messages to verify their NIN-SIM linkage before March 31, to avoid disconnection.
Giving further explanation on the number of SIM cards that have been re-connected, after the 42 million disconnected SIM cards, Adebayo said telecoms operators had commenced the immediate reconnection of SIM cards of those subscribers that had submitted their NINs, and had them linked and verified.
He however said he would not be able to give the exact number of re-connected SIM cards, until audit report has been submitted to the NCC.
He called on telecoms subscribers that received messages for NIN-SIM verification, to quickly ensure the verification is done before March 31.
Since the commencement of SIM card disconnection on February 28, as directed by the NCC, millions of subscribers whose SIM cards were disconnected, have not been able make or receive calls.
NCC, had last December given orders to telecoms operators to commence full barring of all unregistered and improperly registered SIM cards on their networks that had not been linked to the NIN of the SIM card holder.
