NCC Bars 12 Million Unlinked SIM Cards As Deadline Expires

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) did not extend the February 28th deadline for linking National Identification Numbers (NINs) to Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), resulting in telecoms barring 12 million unlinked SIM cards.

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NCC spokesperson Reuben Mouka confirmed there is no extension, saying “We already issued a public notice in this regard.” NCC had directed providers to deactivate non-compliant SIMs after the deadline.

Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria Chairman Gbenga Adebayo said about 12 million lines faced deactivation. He stated: “We stand by that regulatory directive and we are going to comply.”

MTN and Airtel officials said they will disconnect defaulting subscribers as directed by NCC. This is despite a court injunction restraining telecoms from barring unlinked lines, which NCC claims no knowledge of.

NCC Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida reaffirmed at a trade fair that “telecom consumers must link their NIN to their SIM as a matter of critical national security.”

Meanwhile, major telecom operators including MTN, Airtel and 9Mobile faced widespread network disruptions Wednesday amid the SIM-NIN deadline. But ALTON’s Adebayo said the issues were unrelated, caused by fibre cable cuts from Federal road contractors.