March 5, 2024/CSL Research
According to a report by Business Day newspaper, over 40 million lines may have been barred by telecommunication operators following the expiration of the 28 February deadline to link Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) with National Identity Numbers (NINs). The chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo noted that telcos have complied with the disconnection directive issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission. In December 2023, the NCC issued a directive, giving 28 February as the deadline for telcos to block subscribers without NINs and those whose NINs have not been verified.
The Federal Government commenced implementing the SIM/NIN harmonization program in December 2020 through the NCC. This program required all telecommunications subscribers to link their NINs to SIM registration records to avoid service restrictions. The current directive is a follow-up on the NCC’s directive of April 2022 requiring operators to restrict
outgoing calls (one-way barring) for subscribers whose lines have not been linked with their NINs, and the affected subscribers were advised to verify their NINs before being reactivated. The April 2022 directive led to about 72.77 million active telecom lines being barred from making outgoing calls.
In recent statements from MTN and Airtel, both companies have asserted that a substantial portion of their income generating customers have already undergone National Identification Number (NIN) verification, minimizing the impact on revenue generation. MTN disclosed that out of approximately 19 million lines undergoing verification, 4.3 million have been successfully verified as of 28 February 2024 while about 4.2 million subscribers without NINs have been disconnected. Airtel, on the other hand, reported that around 9.2 million customers are currently in the process of NIN verification, with 4.5 million customers already verified. Despite these clarifications, concerns persist regarding the potential short-term adverse effects on subscriber growth prospects, posing a threat to the companies’ revenue growth aspirations.
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