Mobile subscribers will not be required to submit their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number any time soon, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said.
The NCC said the plan is to collect the number automatically when the Device Management System (DMS) comes on stream.
The statement from the commission is coming after some media reported that Nigerian subscribers would be required to submit the IMEI from July 2021. The reports set the public on edge as many expressed concern over the potential ability the IMEI confers on the government to track citizens’ devices.
“At no time did the commission issue a statement regarding the registration of IMEI by subscribers and it has no plans to do so,” the NCC statement signed by Ikechukwu Adinde, director, public affairs, noted.
The mandate for IMEI is contained in the Revised National Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration released in May 2021, to among other things implement a robust SIM identity management solution for effective implementation of the Federal Government directive on mandatory use of National Identification Number (NIN).
The commission said it was still in the process of deploying a Device Management System (DMS). The DMS is expected to protect subscribers against phone theft and will identify and enable the elimination of fake devices from the networks. The system will capture IMEI automatically without any requirement for subscribers to submit same.
“The general public is advised to disregard the said publications, which have created the erroneous impression that telephone subscribers will be required to register their IMEI with their networks,” Adinde said.
