Nigeria Disconnects Millions of Unregistered SIMs Without Verified Digital IDs

As of the February 28 deadline for registration with the National Identity Number (NIN), mobile network operators in Nigeria have disconnected millions of SIM cards that were not registered and verified with digital IDs.

MTN, one of the major operators, has reportedly blocked 4.2 million subscriptions, according to Leadership. Some affected subscribers attempted to register their NIN but faced challenges with verification by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had directed a shift from a partial block on unregistered SIMs to a full block in December, as reported by NCC Spokesman Reuben Muoka in an interview with Channels Television. Cases of failed registration attempts may be due to inconsistencies in the registered data, such as name discrepancies, between mobile accounts and national digital IDs. Muoka suggested that affected subscribers would need to visit service provider facilities in person to rectify errors, with the possibility of digitizing the process in the future.

As of December 2023, Nigeria had more than 224 million mobile subscribers, with MTN holding the largest share at 87 million. MTN mentioned that the disconnected accounts are of lower value and would not significantly impact its revenue, according to Leadership. Telecoms operators are required to submit the number of blocked subscribers to the NCC by the end of the week.

The SIM registration initiative is aimed at curbing incidents of kidnapping and extortion in Nigeria, although reports suggest that the collected data has not been fully utilized by law enforcement. Muoka stated that the NCC is providing security agencies with necessary information to identify criminals using mobile phones for ransom calls.

In related developments, authorities in Pakistan conducted raids on mobile phone vendors across three cities, resulting in three arrests and the recovery of tools for biometric spoof attacks, as reported by Bol News. This action is part of a crackdown on illegal SIM sales by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Meanwhile, India’s Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has received an “Innovation in AI” award for its ASTR (AI & Facial Recognition-powered Solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification) system, which successfully identified and deactivated over 6 million SIM cards last year. The award was presented during the 14th Annual Aegis Graham Bell Awards.