After much plea and persuasion from stakeholders in the industry on deadline extension for unlinked SIM card deactivation.
The Nigerian Communications Commission has had a rethink after looking at the arguments put forward by stakeholders.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has again extended the SIM-NIN linkage deadline by one week.
A senior official of the commission confirmed this latest development to journalists.
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The disconnection process for SIM cards not linked with NIN was to be implemented in phases.
Following NCC’s instruction to telecom operators to deactivate the services of numerous subscribers who had not linked their SIMs with their NINs.
The first phase was set in motion on February 28, 2024, while the second phase was to follow on March 29.
NCC announced in December 2023 that the third phase will kick off on April 15, 2024.
NATCOMS Pleads With NCC
Considering the challenges and bottlenecks faced by subscribers in linking their SIMs with their NINs
The National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) expressed concerns about the fairness of disconnecting subscribers.
NATCOMS’ President, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, appealed for an extension of the deadline for disconnecting SIM cards not yet linked to NIN.
A staff of the NCC said the deadline will be extended by one week because of the Easter public holiday.
He further explained that the telcos had received word not to deactivate unlinked SIM cards until after one week, starting from Friday, March 29.
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“The telecom operators will not bar any subscriber yet. We will only be talking about barring after a week from tomorrow.
This decision was made in response to the internet disruptions encountered in the country two weeks ago.
