Telecommunication Company Begins Final Phase Of Sim Disconnection

Telecommunication companies in Nigeria have commenced the final phase of
disconnecting Subscriber Identity Module numbers (telephone lines) not
linked to National Identification Numbers.

Two senior officials from the telcos who were not in a position to speak
publicly on the matter confirmed this development to a news medium on
Sunday.

The disconnection was initially scheduled for April 15, 2024, but the Nigeria
Communications Commission postponed it to July 31, 2024, after carefully
considering the various challenges encountered by subscribers and requests
for extensions.

According to the official, the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of
Nigeria will soon release a statement that will be shared very soon,” one of
the officials said.

The other source said the directive was from the NCC, the industry regulator,
emphasising that numerous channels have been provided to simplify the
process for subscribers.

However, there are concerns that the telcos did not wait until the July 31
deadline before disconnecting phone lines, which has sparked outrage on
social media, with many Nigerians sharing their experiences and complaints
on X.

Numerous users have reported that their SIM cards were barred despite
completing the linking exercise, and they have provided evidence of their
compliance.

The Digital Communications Assistant to former President Muhammadu
Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, tweeted, and I quote, “It seems MTN has blocked hundreds of numbers from their network today. Many people around me have
complained about losing service. Has anyone else experienced this issue?”

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