By George Ozalla
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is considering a proposal that would require telecommunications operators in the country to give subscribers a minimum of 14 days’ notice before deactivating their Subscriber Identity Module cards.
The proposed measure is part of a wider regulatory effort by the commission to strengthen consumer protection and improve the management of mobile phone numbers within Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
The plan was outlined in a consultation document as part of the commission’s review of identity risk management within the telecom ecosystem, according to a document signed by the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr Aminu Maida.
Under the proposal, telecom operators would be required to notify affected subscribers at least 14 days before any planned disconnection of their lines due to inactivity or post-paid churn. The notification may be delivered through alternative contact details linked to the subscriber’s account, including another phone number or an email address.
The proposed rule would apply to both prepaid and post-paid customers across all licensed telecom networks in the country.
For post-paid subscribers, operators would be expected to inform customers ahead of time if their numbers are scheduled for disconnection due to inactivity or failure to meet account obligations. The notice period would give subscribers an opportunity to settle outstanding obligations or reactivate their lines before the number is withdrawn from the network.
Prepaid users whose SIM cards have remained inactive for a long period would also be notified ahead of the final deactivation date, allowing them time to perform a revenue-generating activity such as making a call, sending a message or purchasing data in order to retain the number.
Current telecommunications regulations allow operators to deactivate lines that have not recorded any revenue-generating activity for six months. If the inactivity continues for another six months, the line may be permanently withdrawn and the phone number recycled for reassignment to another subscriber.
The commission believes the proposed 14-day notification requirement would reduce cases of sudden line disconnection and provide subscribers with fair notice before their numbers are removed from the network.
The regulatory review is also linked to a broader initiative aimed at addressing identity risks associated with recycled phone numbers. Mobile numbers are widely used for digital identification, financial transactions and authentication across several platforms, including banking services and government programmes.
As part of the initiative, telecom operators may also be required to submit records of deactivated or churned numbers to a central regulatory platform designed to track recycled, swapped or barred mobile numbers across the telecommunications system.
The platform is expected to help strengthen identity verification processes and reduce fraud linked to reassigned phone numbers that may still be tied to previous users’ digital profiles.
Stakeholders across the telecommunications industry have been invited to submit comments and observations on the proposal as part of the commission’s consultation process before a final regulatory decision is taken.
