NIN-SIM linkage: MTN disconnects 4.2 million lines after NCC’s deadline

MTN Nigeria has announced the disconnection of 4.2 million lines from its network due to the lapse of the February 28 deadline for linking National Identification Numbers (NIN) with mobile SIMs.

This information was revealed in the company’s audited financial results released on Friday.

Since December 2023, when the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) issued a directive requiring full barring of subscriber lines not linked to their NIN, MTN has verified 4.3 million out of 19 million lines and disconnected 4.2 million as of February 28, 2024.

Despite the disconnections, MTN stated that the revenue impact would be minimal as most of the affected subscribers were of low value.

MTN is actively engaging with authorities to expedite the NIN verification process and has increased its efforts to assist affected customers in verifying their lines through various channels to minimize service disruption.

In 2023, MTN Nigeria added over 4 million subscribers, bringing its total base to 79.7 million, and increased its data subscribers by over 5 million to 44.6 million.

This growth was attributed to sustained demand for data, supported by MTN’s compelling propositions to customers and consistent investment in network quality and coverage.

MTN also acquired additional 2600MHz spectrum in September 2023 to deploy additional capacity to its network more efficiently.

The NCC directive requires all telecommunications operators in Nigeria to implement full network barring on phone lines for which subscribers have not submitted their NINs by February 28, 2024.

Additionally, lines with submitted but unverified NINs are also to be fully barred. Subscribers with unverified NINs must undergo biometric and biodata verification before their lines are unbarred.