Nigerian Telecom Firm Issues Disconnection Notice to Subscribers as Deadline to Link SIM-NIN Nears

• One of Nigeria’s telecommunication companies, 9mobile, has issued a disconnection notice to subscribers
• The company revealed in a statement that subscribers whose lines are not linked by February 29, 2024, will have their lines completely barred
• The company’s director of customer care said subscribers whose lines are not linked will be denied access to calls, SMS, internet and other services

Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported Tech, Energy, Stocks, Investment and the Economy for over a decade.

Mobile network provider 9mobile has asked its customers to link their SIMs with their National Identification Number (NIN), stating that all unlinked lines will be disconnected entirely starting February 29, 2024.

The company’s director of customer care, Ehimare Omoike, issued the warning in a statement released by the telecommunication company, adding that the action aligns with the directive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Read also

"Electricity is not free”: Power minister tells DisCo to publish names of customers who fail to pay bills

Subscribers to be barred completely

According to reports, Omoike said that subscribers who do not comply with the directive will be unable to receive calls, be barred from accessing the internet, have no SMS or OTP, and not receive bank alerts.

Nigeria’s telecom regulator, NCC, had directed in December 2023 that all telephone subscribers must have their NIN linked to their operator’s network to verify the identity of their phone users and minimise criminal activities using mobile networks.

The deadline was fixed as about 35% of subscribers’ lines were linked to their NIN.

Omoike noted that subscribers whose lines are not linked to their NIN will be disconnected from all telecommunication services.

No partial disconnection

The statement said:

“Your line will be disconnected when you do not link your SIM to your National Identity Number (NIN). The implication is that as a subscriber on the 9mobile network, you will be completely shut out from access to the virtual world and greatly inconvenienced.

Read also

“How the CBN’s new regulation for BDCs will impact the sector”: Nigerian man breaks silence

He asked 9mobile subscribers to link their lines by visiting its outlets for instant linking.

FG sets new date to bar SIM cards not linked with NIN

Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has asked all telecommunication companies to block subscribers’ lines unrelated to the National Identity Number (NIN).

MTN Nigeria disclosed the directive in its corporate filing on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) dated Monday, December 18, 2023.

In the filing signed by its secretary, Uto Ukpana, the company said the NCC ordered a complete barring on all phone lines whose NINs are unverified.

Source: Legit.ng