Is Nigeria finally carrying out its threat to disconnect unregistered SIM cards? A number of outlets are reporting that with the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) deadline having passed on 14 September, Nigeria’s mobile operators are blocking subscriber identity module (SIM) cards that are not linked to National Identification Numbers (NIN).
While there has been progress in the registration effort – to date, 153 million customers have been linked to their national ID numbers – there is supposedly a total of 219 million active mobile customers across the country’s four operators.
The regulator recommends that those who have not yet completed their NIN-SIM linkage, or who have encountered challenges owing to verification mismatches, visit the local service provider’s office as soon as possible to update their information.
However, according to the Techpoint Africa website, Nigerian consumer group the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) has requested a two-week extension of the NIN-SIM linkage deadline, from 14 to 30 September.
Its seems that the group has identified significant issues with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) portal, mentioning that the portal’s inability to handle the high volume of uploads has led to delays and frustrations for both telecom operators and subscribers.
NATCOMS National President, Deolu Ogunbanjo, has urged the NCC to extend the deadline to allow NIMC to enhance its portal capacity and improve the process for everyone involved, referring to congestion and suggesting that the NIMC portal lacked the capacity to handle the surge in uploads, causing undue stress for telecom operators and their subscribers.
If NATCOMS’ request is approved, it will mark the NCC’s fifth extension this year, adding to the many NIN-SIM linkage extensions since the original announcement in December 2020.
