MTN Disconnects 4.2m Lines Not Linked To NIN

MTN network in Nigeria has disconnected 4.2m subscribers who are yet to link their National Identity Numbers, NIN, to their Subscriber Identification Module, SIM cards.

Gatekeepers News reports that this is coming after several warnings by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and the telecoms company that subscribers must link their lines to their NINs.

MTN Nigeria on Friday, reported that over 4.2m lines were disconnected from its network after the February 28 deadline given by the NCC.

It disclosed this in its Earning Report for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Also, 19 million lines on its network were currently being verified, adding that 4.3 million had been verified as of February.

MTN said, “We also had approximately 4.2 million lines disconnected for which the subscribers did not submit their NIN. Several of these lines were low-value subscribers, minimising the revenue impact.

“We are actively engaging the authorities to accelerate the NIN verification process. We have also increased our engagement with the affected customers, providing various channels for verification to minimise service disruption.”

The disconnected lines are part of an industry-wide directive requiring telecom operators to bar subscribers whose lines have not been linked to their NIN.

In December 2023, the NCC issued a directive to MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9Mobile to fully bar phone lines not linked to subscribers’ NINs by February 28, 2024.

Similarly, for lines with submitted but unverified NINs, the directive mandated barring on or before March 29, 2024, for five or more linked lines.

The NCC emphasised the need for biometric and biodata verification before unblocking the affected lines.

Industry sources noted that about 12 million lines across the networks might have been disconnected after the February 28 deadline.

Meanwhile, MTN Nigeria reported a loss for the full year 2023, its first in three years, after the naira devaluation and rising cost of doing business ate into its margins.