By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Mobile telephone carriers gained 195,313 subscribers in July, according to the Nigerian Telecommunications Commission (NCC), but it plans to fine them N200,000 if they fail to verify National Identity Numbers (NINs) and biometrics of all subscribers.
“A licensee who fails to verify and validate biometric, NIN and other personal information before activation is liable to a penalty of N200, 000 for each subscription medium in breach of these requirements,” the NCC says on its website.
This is contained in a draft regulation on registration of telephone subscribers, per reporting by The PUNCH.
Operators that allow subscribers to make and receive calls, send and receive short message services and other services provided by such operators without first verifying the subscribers’ personal information, including NIN, will be fined per subscription medium.
Abuja has extended the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to October 31.
Telcos gain 195,313 subscribers
The PUNCH also reports that telecom operators gained 195,313 subscribers in July, quoting data supplied by the NCC.
In June, total subscribers numbered 187,275,547 but grew to 187,470,860 in July as the effect of the ban on new SIM registration began to wane.
In December 2020, the sale and registration of new SIM cards was banned by the government and it set a deadline of December 30 for subscribers to link their NIN with their SIM cards.
But in April this year, the government approved the activation of new SIM card registration with mandatory NIN linkage.
Total mobile subscriber base grew, but telcos lost 430,733 data subscribers whose number dropped from 139,814,913 in June to 139,384,180 in July.
Broadband penetration also dropped from 39.97 per cent to 39.79 per cent.
Subscribers continued to port in July, as 734 of them ported between networks, an increase from 616 who did in June.