SIM Registration, MNP and Service Delivery

Nigerian Communication Commission, NCC at diverse times has issued a regulation mandating telecom operators to register their customers' SIM cards. Recently the regulatory body issued a directive for the deadline (30 June) for SIM card registration. This been the 3rd or 4th time such directive would be issued and it seems operators are not taking it serious. According to the regulatory body, the exercise would allow assist security agencies in resolving crimes and by extension to enhance the security of the state, facilitate the
collation of data by the Commission about phone usage in Nigeria, among others.

This year April, the same NCC launched Mobile Number Portability (MNP). With MNP subscribers can swap or port easily within different service providers without losing their SIM card numbers.

Recently NCC issued a press statement threatening to fine any operator who flout its rule by not disconnecting unregistered SIMs, and operators would have pay the fine of #200,000 to reactivate a disconnected SIM. Well an operator has a choice of either sacrificing for the fine or let the SIM go. Let it go, perhaps to the rival operator. This has been made possible with the launching of MNP. So operators what's your take? Also, if the subscriber slacks in reactivating the SIM the number might be recycled and resold out for new users.

Since there is no regard to mobile number prefix anymore e.g. 0803, 0806, 0703, 0706 etc that used to be MTN numbers can be ported to other networks, using the new network service while still retaining those numbers.

Apart from disconnection caused by unregistered SIMs, I think there are deliberate reasons that could make a service provider lose its customers, viz. poor network coverage, surcharging and ripping off customers via implicit policy, terms and conditions.

In summary, I think time has come for transparency and efficiencies in Nigerian telecom sector. In fact competition is pivotal to good service delivery and international best practices. Comparing countries that has launched MNP earlier ( UK, Hong Kong,1999; USA, 2003; Australia, 2001; Indian, Ghana 2011), you'll observe consequential service quality and relative low charges.

Honestly, I've noticed positive changes in some of the Nigerian operator's network few months MNP was launched. That I called "a start".