NCC orders reactivation of all blocked lines in Nigeria

 The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has orded telecommunication providers to promptly reactivate all phone lines that were disabled because their SIM cards were not linked to their national identification numbers.

The Director of Media and Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, revealed this decision in a statement on Monday. The regulator for the telecom sector clarified that the goal of this regulation was to prioritize customer convenience and address the broad inconvenience caused by the obstructions. Many telecom subscribers had their phone lines stopped in accordance with NIN-SIM linking requirements over the weekend because they neglected to confirm their NINs with their SIM cards.

Due to this situation, MTN customers nationwide staged protests on Monday, demanding that their blocked phone lines be reactivated.

The Commission has ordered all operators to reactivate all lines that were disconnected over the weekend due to the limited time available for customers to verify their NINs with their SIM cards. "The consumer is our priority," the regulator stated, taking into account the difficulties the blockages have caused.

In December 2020, the required SIM-NIN connection was implemented with the intention of improving national security and guaranteeing a precise SIM ownership database. Many lines are still unverified even after multiple deadline extensions, the most recent of which was extended to July 31, 2024.

The deadline has been reviewed by the commission several times since December 2023. The deadline for the entire network was originally scheduled for April 15, 2024, with the exception of subscribers who had four or fewer SIMs and unverified NIN details.

Then, in order to provide customers additional time to make sure their NIN details given are accurately validated, this deadline was extended until July 31, 2024. The NCC regretted that many phone lines are still not connected to confirmed NINs in spite of these extensions. In order to enable them to correctly link their NIN to their SIM, the regulator made it clear that the impacted customers should be aware that this reactivation is only happening for a short time. 

To ensure access to their SIMs, the commission asked all subscribers who haven't confirmed them yet to do so right away.