[size=13pt]NCC set to bar unregistered SIM cards[/size]

Except the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, changes its earlier decision, owners of unregistered subscribers identification module, SIM cards, may be barred by the close of business today, from receiving calls from their loved ones.

A source close to the commission told Nigerian Pilot last night that the sanction might also prevent them from making calls as well.

The source said the SIM cards registration, which is expected to officially end today throughout the country, would enhance national security and protect the telecom consumers, and therefore, solicited support of all stakeholders towards the realisation of the exercise.

NCC had earlier spoken about the benefits and challenges of the exercise at the 44th edition of its Consumer Outreach Programme held at the weekend in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, adding that in spite of the challenges presented by the project, it had a wider benefit for the country and its citizens.

Director of consumer affairs of the commission, Mrs Mary Uduma, who represented the executive vice chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, had earlier appealed to all stakeholders in the state to embrace the SIM card registration exercise, as the commission was doing all within its powers to ensure that every person living in the country was adequately protected.

“We have a mandate to ensure that all users of telephones in Nigeria are registered to ensure that there is an indentity behind every telephone that is on the Nigerian network, and the commission has done proper sensitisation across the country to ensure that no subscriber will have any excuse not to register his or her SIM cards within the period announced by the commission,” she said.

Uduma said the NCC was aware of the challenges faced by the service providers as well as the commission during the exercise such as illegal charges for registration by unscrupulous and corrupt SIM registration agents, epileptic power supply for equipment, mis-recording or improper capturing of data as well as limited number of SIM registration centres.

She listed some other benefits of the registration to include quick recovery of lost SIM cards and possibility of implementing number portability for the subscribers, which will allow them to retain their choice numbers while migrating to another network that may offer them better service at reduced tariff.

By Peter Jones Ailuorio, Lagos

http://www.nigerianpilot.com/?q=content/ncc-set-bar-unregistered-sim-cards

Sim registration LMFAO

Does this mean from today new sim cards will only be sold to people who provide registartion details? how will this work when I believe you can literally by a sim card from any reseller.

please, we plead for extension of registration of sim cards.
www.web4lagos.com

If na to come queue collect free money,everybody for come out come collect.After one year of this exercise,some are still calling for extension.Some nigerians can be so stuupid !

They need to extend it theres too many people the the q's to register are so off putting!

Its pointless anyway no address were being verified Im sure they will soon discover 500 people put the exact same address down

As 4 of I registered mine a long time ago. @bluetooth, what will happen 2 new subscribers fm 2day, will they not register their sims?

anyhow, I've done mine

I wonder why proof of addresses and identity were not requested in the registration details.

In a few more years, NCC/SSS will realize this gaffe and redo the exercise.

Why was there no website created for Nigerians in Diaspora to register their SIMs and upload their photographs and International Passport number?

Weren't their international passports and finger prints issued and scanned by the NIS, an agency of FGN?

Na wah for Naija o! People in govt sef, where dem brain dey?

if unregistered sim cards are barred , what about the ones resellers are yet to sell

Can the NCC actually bar SIMs? I would have thought only the networks can do that.

And would the network cut themselves out from the revenue generated from unregistered SIMs?

NCC is a toothless bulldog.

I think Nigeria is among the few nations that people uses unregistered Sim cards, i don't support the idea of banning Sim cards permanently but they can place some kind of restrictions on the Sim cards and ask the user to visit the network provider for it to be lifted, they can register the person there.

yeye nation

I am yet to register ma sim, you know why? I really wanna see them bar ma sim, it will be fun.
Imagine, one idiot was askin me to pay 50naira for him to register mi. Letd wait and see

francis247:

As 4 of I registered mine a long time ago. @bluetooth, what will happen 2 new subscribers fm 2day, will they not register their sims?  

They are talking about pre-existing sims not new ones !

francis247:

As 4 of I registered mine a long time ago. @bluetooth, what will happen 2 new subscribers fm 2day, will they not register their sims?  

They are talking about pre-existing sims not new ones !

@francis24 ur question is baseless and childish. Hw can u ask 'what happens to the new sims people ll buy from 2day'? Abi dem no know road to our service providers offices across d nation to register their sim after purchase? Registration continues after any purchase of course.

About 50% of subscribers are believed to be yet to register.can they afford to bar such a large base?

the simple logic is that all active but unregistered sims will be blocked while new sims will henceforth not be activated until it is registered with the service provider

how do i confirm that my line has been registered? i use mtn coz i have not received any kind of notification

What of those in the villages and very remote areas of the country. I know a village in the interiors on Niger state that nobody even has an idea of what they mean by registration. The closest place they can register is like 2 hours drive from their village and gsm usage is growing there seriously as they are farmers and after harvest are very "boxed up"

na today

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock,

I registered my sim cards april this year with ncc,only for mtn to tell me this week that i am yet to register my sim card. I am yet to confirm dat of airtel and etisalat. They can bar the lines for all i care. After the long wait under hot sun dats wat i get. Mtschwww

, it has been extended ooo.

poster, you're misleading people here.

NCC never said lines will be barred completely.

You won't be able to make calls but you can receive for the next 30days after which the line will be barred from receiving/making calls.

So if you haven't registered you can only receive calls for the next 30days.

new sim can only be sold by service providers. Recharge card sellers have been barred from selling sim.

It's unbelievable that there are still so many people that have not registered their sim after all this time. Registration does not take a while. New sims are not usable until they are registered. When I was in Lagos in April, I bought an MTN card but had to register it before it was usable. Went to Ikeja bus-stop and got it done in less than 5 mins and phone was working instantly!

Nigerians and deadline. when will we ever learn. Panic and katakata everywhere. Today it is SIM card, yesterday was international passport, tomorrow is national ID card, last year was FRSC sticker. Deadline for power, security, elimination of boko haram, MEND etc etc.

evry one should relax now , it has been extended, I guess the over 40 million unregistered lines is still important to the ncc,

they are serious,i was asked to pay =N=50 for registration. i compalined to mtn customer care only for them to tell me go to their office to register,instead of addressing the issue by stopping that centre from further rip-off on Nigerians.

please bar my sim.

They should give additional 3 years. As for me, I'm not going to register my sim. Nothing works in Nigeria.