NCC Threatens to Fine Telecoms Operators over Unregistered SIMs

NCC’s Director, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, Ubale Maska

By Emma Okonji

Worried that some telecoms operators may not have commenced deactivation of unregistered SIM cards on their networks, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has threatened to impose maximum fine on any operator that is still violating its directive in this regard.

NCC had asked telecoms operators to end SIM card registration on June 30, and directed them to immediately commence deactivation of unregistered SIM cards, having allowed subscribers up to 27 months to register their SIM cards.

Although every operator had complied in ending the SIM card registration, some of them have, however, refused to comply with the other directive that mandated them to commence deactivation of unregistered SIM cards.

THISDAY had last week, reported the reluctance of telecoms operators to commence deactivation of unregistered SIM cards, for possible fear of losing their customers, which has just been confirmed by NCC’s recent letter to operators, warning them of risking maximum fine, should they continue to allow unregistered SIMs on their networks.

In a recent letter written to all telecoms operators, the Director, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement at NCC, Ubale Maska, warned telecoms operators to either commence deactivation of unregistered SIMs on their networks, or face heavy sanction. 

In the letter, which was signed by Maska and made available to THISDAY, he said: “Please note that the commission has commenced compliance monitoring and if any unregistered SIM cards are found to be active on your networks, the commission shall invoke its powers under regulation 19 and 20 of the Registration of Subscribers Regulations 2011 and impose the maximum fine on your companies without further recourse to any network.”

In order to enforce compliance, NCC further directed operators to forward to the commission, a summary of the registered and active lines on their networks as at June 30.
NCC also asked the operators to forward to the commission details of the unregistered and deactivated lines as at June 30, 2013, which is consistent with section 15(2) of the NCC’s Registration of Telephone Subscribers Regulations 2011.

Part of the letter read: “Operators must deactivate all unregistered SIM cards on their networks immediately.

“Deactivation in this case, and consistent with section 1 of the NCC’s Registration of Telephone Subscribers Regulation 2011 means that all unregistered SIM cards are disallowed full access to your networks including the ability to make and receive calls, to send and receive SMS and other range of services usually provided on your networks.

“Operators must provide a firm confirmation that all unregistered lines have been fully deactivated in line with the provisions of this regulation.

“The information/data should reach the commission on or before the close of business on Friday 5th July, 2013.
That without prejudice to the above and consistent with Regulation 13(4) of the NCC’s Registration of Telephone Subscribers Registration 2011, telecoms operators are to forward on a weekly basis thereafter, details of the registrations of the biometric information and other personal information of new lines registered to the commission for entry thereafter into the central database.”

Although telecoms operators had insisted they had complied with the directive to commence deactivation of unregistered SIM cards, the recent warning letter from NCC to the operators, is an indication that some of the operators were reluctant to commence deactivation of unregistered SIM cards, as earlier reported by THISDAY.

All GSM operators had earlier told THISDAY that they had commenced deactivation of unregistered SIM cards, but the recent warning letter from NCC, proved that the operators may not have actually commenced deactivation.

In a statement from MTN on deactivation of unregistered SIM cards, its Corporate Services Executive, Mr. Wale Goodluck, said: “Following the expiration of the deadline for SIM registration, MTN has deactivated unregistered subscribers as directed by the NCC. We, therefore, wish to inform affected subscribers that they can reconnect their lines by visiting the nearest MTN Service Centre, ConnectStore or SIM registration point, as we have set up registration points at several places for this purpose.”

Source: thisdaylive.com