Inactive mobile phone lines caused by various factors
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A total 107 million mobile telephone lines on the four major networks – MTN, Globacom, Airtel, and 9mobile – became inactive by March out of a total 306.3 connected lines.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says in its latest report on subscriber data this means there were 199.2 million active phone lines across the networks by March, presenting 65 per cent of connected lines.
A mobile line becomes inactive if it is not used to make or receive calls and/or access data services for 90 days at the minimum. Such lines are separated from active lines as they generate no revenue for operators.
Telecom operators always have inactive lines alongside increases in active users and new activations.
But inactive numbers rose partly because of the ban on new SIM registration and the inability of many subscribers to retrieve their lines between 9 December 2020 and 19 April 2021.
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SIM cards easy to acquire and dump
Industry analysts also attribute the increasing number of inactive lines, which predated the recent ban, to the fact SIM cards are now easy to acquire and dump.
And Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) contribute to the increase through their aggressive marketing strategy of offering SIMs to customers for free, they said, according to Nairametrics.
A SIM sold for as high as N60,000 at the beginning of the telecom revolution in 2001. Stiff competition among operators for subscribers now push some to offer free SIMs plus free credit and data upon activation.
The situation may improve with the recent policy that subscribers present their National Identification Number (NIN) to buy a new SIM. People will buy SIMs only when it is necessary and not just because an operator is running a promo.
The NCC has also introduced a policy that subscribers whose lines have been inactive for 12 months would forfeit them.
“Subscriber numbers that have not generated revenue by originating calls will automatically be recovered after 12 consecutive months,” the NCC said.
