NCC May Write Telcos over Improperly Registered SIM Cards

Emma Okonji unregistered and improperly SIM cards on their networks.

The Director Public Affairs at NCC, Dr. Henry Nkemadu, who confirmed the ongoing SIM card audit exercise, told THISDAY that the audit team began the exercise two weeks ago, and it is about concluding the exercise.

According to him, at the end of the exercise, the commission would write to any telecoms operator whose network still harbours unregistered and improperly registered SIM cards, and order then to clean up their networks within a stipulated timeframe.

He said although the team was yet to conclude on the exercise, but that the usual practice is for NCC to write to any operator at the end of the exercise, who may be found keeping unregistered SIM cards on its network, to clean them up.

“SIM card auditing is a regulatory practice to ensure that all SIM cards on the networks of telecoms operators are properly registered, and the essence is to checkmate crimes like kidnapping, armed robbery, theft, bully, among others, carried out using unregistered and improperly registered SIM cards,” Nkemadu said.

According to the NCC, the audit was initiated specifically to monitor operators’ strict adherence to the technical and other specifications for subscribers’ SIM card registration.

The specifications are prescribed in the Telephone Subscribers Registration Regulations and the Technical Standards and Specifications issued by the Commission in 2011, which stipulates a fine of N200,000 for each infraction of SIM card registration.