The Nigerian Communications Fee, NCC, has issued a directive to telecom service suppliers to bar subscribers who’ve did not hyperlink their cellphone numbers to their Nationwide Identification Numbers (NIN) on or earlier than February 28, 2024.
The Government Vice Chairman of the Fee, Aminu Maida, who gave the directive by the Director of Public Affairs, Ruben Mouka, on the forty fifth Kaduna Worldwide Commerce Truthful on Wednesday, insisted that as matter of vital nationwide safety, telecom shoppers should hyperlink their NIN to their SIM playing cards.
He insisted that the February twenty eighth deadline given to telecom operators to bar subscribers who did not hyperlink their NIN to SIM playing cards stands.
“To this finish, the Nationwide Communication Fee has directed all telecommunication operators to bar cellphone strains of subscribers whose strains should not linked to their NINs on or earlier than February 28, 2024,” he added.
The NCC boss additionally disclosed that as of 2023, the telecoms business’s contribution to the nation’s GDP stood at 13.5%.
In line with Maida, NCC is dedicated to defending the rights of shoppers whereas additionally guaranteeing their satisfaction whereas noting that the fee has created a universally acceptable surroundings to entry “reasonably priced and equitable service and helps the nation’s financial progress.
“As a regulator of the telecommunications sector within the nation, the Fee carries out its capabilities to make sure service availability, affordability, and sustainability for all classes of shoppers, who’re leveraging on ICT/Telecoms to drive private and enterprise actions,” he mentioned.
The NCC boss urged telecom companies to prioritise buyer satisfaction and uphold the best requirements of service supply, noting that the fee has carried out measures to safeguard the curiosity of shoppers and companies alike.
Certainly one of such measures, he mentioned, was the NCC’s directives on Could 17, 2023 that every one licensed Cellular Community Operators (MNOs) to start implementation of authorised Harmonised Quick Codes (HSC) for offering providers to Nigerian telecom shoppers.
“The brand new initiative is enabling shoppers utilizing the over 224 million lively cell phone strains in Nigeria to make use of the identical codes to entry providers throughout all networks,” he added.