NCC removes 24mn subscribers from mobile network to ensure credibility of database

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has removed 24 million registered telecom subscribers’ records from the network in a bid to ensure credible register for the industry.

The industry regulator said in a statement that the subscribers’ registrations were regularised using the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) in order to ensure a credible database of telephone subscribers.

According to the NCC, new features such as ‘Add SIM’, ‘Update SIM’ and NIN field were added to ease the harmonisation of the SIM registration subscribers’ data with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database.

“During the period under review, over 24 million validly registered subscriber records were scrubbed/ cleaned-up (de-duplicated) via Automated Fingerprint Identification System in fulfilment of the mandate to establish a credible database of telephone subscribers,” the statement said.

Subsequently, NCC said the NIN would become a mandatory requirement for the SIM registration and retrieval.

It said the SIM registration exercise would facilitate a partnership with security agencies to ensure the adoption and use of technology innovations to improve security in the country.

“In line with the Federal Government directive, the commission is collaborating with the National Identity Management Commission towards the implementation of the Mandatory Use of National Identification Number Regulations which stipulates the mandatory use of NIN for transactions such as SIM registration, reactivation/retrieval.”

The regulator added that the partnership would allow the tracking of telephone use for criminal activities in the country through identity and security management.

It said the partnership NIMC will also ensure the establishment of a credible database of SIM card subscribers as an enabler to the overall Citizen Identification System.

In addition, the telecom regulator said call masking or call refilling had reduced drastically following the deployment of technology to tackle SIM boxing during the period under review.

It said the technology would monitor, report, apprehend and block SIM cards used for call masking activities.

NCC described call masking as a situation when inbound international calls terminate in Nigeria as local numbers.