NCC Proposes 14-Day Notice Before SIM Deactivation for Inactive Subscribers
- The NCC has proposed that telecom operators must give subscribers at least 14 days’ notice before SIM deactivation due to inactivity
- The requirement applies to both post-paid and prepaid subscribers under the proposed amendments to the QoS Business Rules
- Operators will also be required to submit churn data to the new Telecoms Identity Risk Management System within seven days
Oluwatobi Odeyinka is a business editor at Legit.ng, covering energy, the money market, technology and macroeconomic trends in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has proposed that telecommunications operators must give subscribers at least 14 days’ notice before deactivating their SIM cards due to inactivity or post-paid churn.
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The proposal is contained in a consultation paper titled “Stakeholders Consultation Process for the Telecoms Identity Risks Management Platform”, dated February 26, 2026 and published on the commission’s website. The document was signed by the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Aminu Maida.
NCC: Customers must be notified before disconnection
According to the NCC, the amendment to the Quality-of-Service (QoS) Business Rules will require operators to notify affected subscribers before disconnecting their lines.
“Before churning a post-paid line, the Operator shall send a notification to the affected subscriber through an alternative line or an email on the pending churning of his line,” the document read.
It further noted that such notification must be sent at least 14 days before the final date for the churn of the number.
A similar requirement was proposed for prepaid users. The commission said operators must notify prepaid subscribers via an alternative line or email ahead of deactivation, adding that the notice must also be issued at least 14 days before the final churn date.
Under the current provisions in Section 2.3.1 of the QoS Business Rules, a subscriber’s line may be deactivated if it has not recorded a Revenue Generating Event within six months.
Additional six-month grace before disconnection
If the inactivity continues for another six months, the subscriber may permanently lose the number, except in cases linked to network-related faults.
Beyond the notice requirement, the NCC also proposed that telecom operators submit churn data to the new Telecoms Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS). The document stated that operators must forward details of all churned numbers to the platform within seven days after completing the churn process.
NCC rolls out TIRMS
The proposed amendments are part of a broader regulatory review connected to the rollout of TIRMS, a cross-sector platform designed to reduce fraud associated with recycled, swapped, or barred mobile numbers.
In the background section of the paper, the commission described TIRMS as a secure, regulator-backed platform aimed at preventing fraud linked to churned, swapped, and barred Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Numbers (MSISDNs) in Nigeria.
It added that the system is expected to establish a uniform framework for maintaining the integrity and use of registered MSISDNs across the country’s communications network.
The consultation process, which the NCC said aligns with Section 58 of the Nigerian Communications Act, will remain open for 21 days from the date of publication. Stakeholders are required to submit their comments on or before March 20, 2026.
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NCC to probe telecoms service quality
Legit.ng earlier reported that the NCC launched a competition review following recent increases in telecommunication tariffs in the country, to assess whether recent increases in data and voice tariffs have led to improved service delivery for consumers.
According to the commission, the review was launched through a stakeholder workshop held in January and is focused on the voice and data segments of the industry.
The exercise aims to examine how market structure, competition levels and operators’ conduct affect consumer experience.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
