The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has set a June 30 deadline for the disconnection of all unregistered SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards in the country.
Tony Ojobo, director, public affairs, NCC, in a tweet, weekend, disclosed that “from the 30th of June 2013, all unregistered SIM cards will be barred from the telecoms services”.
Prior to the introduction of MNP scheme, the telecoms regulator had directed mobile network operators (MNOs) in the country to tidy up the registration of telecoms subscribers on their respective networks.
The directive, according to the commission, became necessary because telecoms subscribers that had not registered their SIM cards would not be able to port their numbers.
The NCC had warned that such subscribers would eventually be cut off from the networks not long after the take-off of the MNP scheme. With the scheme, holders of the country’s over 114 million phone lines can now retain their phone numbers when changing from one operator to another. Following the new directive by the commission, mobile operators would have to step up efforts to get their existing telecoms subscribers, who have not complied with the SIM card registration requirement to do so.
Expectations are that some mobile operators will begin to send text messages (SMS) to subscribers on their networks who have not registered.
BEN UZOR JR
