Telecom
NIN: NCC Tightens Loose Ends, Introduce Self-Help Measure

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has announced a revised set of regulations to guide subscriber identity module (SIM) card and National Identity Number (NIN) rules, intended to tighten loose ends and introduce self-help measures.
One of the key highlights of the “Business Rules issued pursuant to the Registration of Communications Subscribers Regulation in support of the National Identity Policy for SIM Card registration and related activities published in 2022 which is premised on the mandatory use of a NIN” stated that “Record of all recycled SIMs shall be purged of any NIN attached, this is to allow new subscriber register or submit and link a new NIN.
The scope of application of the new rule in a document sighted yesterday at the Commission’s website covered NIN-SIM Registration Database Harmonization; New SIM Activation and Registration; Corporate, Internet-of-Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) activations; SIM Activation for foreigners; Mobile Number Portability (MNP); Churned and Recycled SIMs; and agents and dealers governance.
Under the new rule, corporate new SIM sales/activation shall have a Primary Telecoms Master (Telecom Master) shall be minimum Executive Management Staff while corporate subscribers have the option of also appointing a secondary or operations telecoms master.
It said both Primary & Secondary/Operations Telecoms Master shall be indicated in a Telecom Master Authorization letter.
Machine to Machine (M2M) SIM registrations will only require NIN of the Primary Telecom Master.
Telecoms master authorization letter shall be signed by one or two C-Level staff (or above) of the corporate organization.
The Telecoms Master Authorization Letter shall provide among others, registered names of the Primary Telecoms Master, Official Designation of the Primary Telecoms Master, NIN of the Primary Telecoms Master i.e. Primary NIN, MSISDN of the Primary Telecoms Master (within the corporate account).
It stated however that registered names of the Secondary/Operations Telecoms Master (Optional).
It must also contain official designation of the secondary/operations telecoms master; MSISDN of the Secondary/Operations Telecoms Master (within the corporate account); NIN of the Secondary Telecom Master; Indemnity letter specifying the full responsibilities and liabilities of the Primary Telecoms Master and signed by the Primary Telecoms Master and C-Level staff of the Corporate Organization
A CSV file (or other searchable format) of all associated/secondary SIMs on the same account is provided (not applicable for internet of things (IoT)/M2M). This shall provide all associated SIMs on the account; first, Middle (optional) and last Names of each Secondary User; NIN of each Secondary user i.e. Secondary NIN; alternate SIMs of Secondary Users; Certificate of Incorporation with Registration Number duly verified by Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) (not applicable to companies listed on Nigerian Stock Exchange); tax Clearance Certificate or Tax Identification Number (not applicable to companies listed on Nigerian Stock Exchange).
Public sector and government organizations are also to present legal instruments showing evidence of establishment; Verify Primary Telecom Master NIN by matching Communications Service Providers Primary Telecom Master SIM Registration with NIMC records of Primary Telecom Master NIN.
Where there are mismatches or Primary Telecom Master SIM Registration is unavailable in respect of an Existing Corporate Subscriber, Communications Service Providers shall obtain Primary Telecom Master Passport Photograph and other demographic details; Communications Service Providers shall verify Primary Telecom Master NIN records against details provided via the electronic facial matching and case-management which includes manual facial verification process; Communications Service Providers shall provide NIMC records to Primary Telecom Master and obtain consent to use the records as Corporate SIM Registration,” it stated.
It stated that Communications Service Providers shall update Primary Telecom Master SIM Registration with NIMC records; store consent, passport photo and all other documents on the account.
Communications Service Providers shall validate the Secondary NIN of the Corporate. This shall not be applicable for IOT/M2M; Communications Service Providers shall copy verified Primary Telecom Master NIN and each validated Secondary NIN on the SIMs accordingly;
Where a Data only service is particular to individual use e.g home, car tracking, WiFi, MiFi services, et al, the standard NIN registration process will apply;
Where Primary Telecom Master’s NIN data and Communications Service Providers SIM Registration records match, and Secondary Telecom Master’s NIN is successfully verified, other forms of verification shall not be required;
Where Primary Telecom Master’s NIN data and Communications Service Providers SIM Registration KYC records do not match (or where Primary Telecom Master’s SIM Registration database is not available), SIM Registration data shall be updated with NIN details upon facial verification of Primary Telecom Master’s passport photograph and consent form from corporate subscriber;
Any peculiar request different from any Corporate entity which is at variance to the General Rules on Corporate and IoT/M2M SIM activation shall be treated on case by case basis after such corporate entity procures a waiver from NCC and upon written directives from the NCC to the concerned Communications Service Providers.
A check must be carried out by the Communications Service Providers for all new activations and port-in requests to ensure that the limit on the number of activations per subscriber as specified by the Commission from time to time are strictly adhered to.
The total number of SIMs an individual subscriber is permitted to acquire is a maximum of four SIMs with a single NIN on any Communications Service Providers’ network. Provided that the rule shall have no retroactive effect on SIMs purchased prior to April 27, 2021. This limit shall not apply to Corporate and IoT/M2M activation scenarios.
In respect of Foreigners who wish to activate New SIM (which includes subscription medium), and perform MNP (porting of numbers), the following general rules shall apply:
Foreigners who are lawfully residing in Nigeria for a period of two years or more fall under the category of Registrable persons and shall require a NIN to register their SIM and request for MNP; and foreigners validly transiting through Nigeria or are employed in or reside in Nigeria for less than 24 months are exempted from the mandatory use of NIN requirement.
Persons in this category need to provide justification that they will be residing in Nigeria for less than two years.
NIN is mandatory for foreigners with legal residency status or those living in Nigeria for two years and above.
For those who do not already have a NIN, Communications Service Providers shall capture the resident’s details for NIN issuance as part of the NIN enrolment process, upon presentation of resident permits; foreigners with Visitor’s visas (with visa less than two years) do not require a NIN.
MNOs will capture the International passport biodata page; and Visa page.
Foreigners with Diplomatic visas (including family diplomatic visas) will also require a NIN for their personal telephone lines if they are staying in Nigeria for two or more years.
Those staying less than two years will require International passport biodata page and letter from embassy indicating that their stay is for less than two years.
In respect of Embassies and Diplomatic Mission, what shall be required include the data page containing the passport number of the diplomatic passport of the Head of Mission/Embassy along with a Letter of Request signed by the Ambassador or its equivalent for registration of the official telephone lines of the Embassy/Mission in Nigeria shall be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for verification and confirmation and registration of the SIMs; SIM (which includes subscription medium) of the diplomatic missions are to be linked with Corporate Diplomatic Identification Number (CDIN) which will be unique to each diplomatic mission.
Each mission will also be responsible for managing the lines and allocating them internally. Furthermore, the head of Mission is to serve as the Telecom Master or point of contact for the mission.
The rule also set out self-service option. It noted that the self-service option for resolving biometric mismatches can only be conducted by the Communications Service Provider itself and cannot be an option for such activity by an agent or third party.
All self-service activities shall be in line with the specifications and requirements set out in 1 of these Business Rules.
Agents, third parties and other entities are not allowed to use the self-service option for any service, mismatch resolution or data update. This category must conduct these activities in a controlled environment.
It said a controlled environment for the purposes of these Business Rules must be properly lit and illuminated; Images should be captured against a white or plain background; it must have the logo of the Communications Service Provider; it must be operated by a duly licensed and approved agent; the agent must have a valid means of identification and a verified NIN; the registration centre must be a permanent structure; and the premises must be clearly marked a “SIM Card Registration Centre”.
Telecom
MTN @ Swish Fusion Summit, Showcases 5G Rollout Strategy

MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has joined other professionals across media, technology, and business gathered in Lagos for the Swish Fusion Tech and Media Summit.
Themed ‘Africa: Big Wins & New Breaks’, the summit drew thousands of attendees and featured more than 40 speakers exploring the intersection of innovation, regulation, and economic growth across the continent.
Among the sessions, MTN Nigeria presented a detailed look at the company’s ongoing 5G deployment efforts and its role in shaping enterprise infrastructure.
Njideka Jack, senior manager for Partnerships in MTN’s Enterprise Business Division, shared details of the investments, reiterating the company’s commitment to delivering high-quality 5G-powered services.
The company’s 5G rollout timeline began in 2022 with license acquisition from the Nigerian Communications Commission. In 2023, MTN moved into pilot testing and infrastructure investment.
By 2024, coverage had expanded to key cities and business hubs.
The company now plans to extend access to more underserved areas throughout 2025 while deepening collaboration with OEMs and regulators.
Beyond the rollout itself, Jack also spoke on the potential of private 5G networks for Nigerian enterprises.
With the ability to offer secure, high-speed, low-latency connectivity, these networks are increasingly being adopted in manufacturing, healthcare, education, and logistics sectors.
The summit’s broader agenda reflected a similar sense of urgency around Africa’s digital future.
Panels and breakout sessions tackled topics ranging from mobile-first product design and regulatory frameworks to the rise of AI in content creation and the realities of funding early-stage tech ventures on the continent.
Speakers from companies like Jumia, Stears and local startups provided perspectives on both the barriers and breakthroughs in building scalable African solutions.
The sessions also sparked conversations about how African businesses are adapting to consumer behaviour shifts and infrastructure limitations.
Telecom
PAT Taps Osi as CEO

Pan African Towers (PAT), a Nigerian infrastructure provider serving 9mobile and Spectranet, has appointed Echezona Osi as chief executive officer.

Echezona Osi
Adefolarin Ogunsanya, company’s, board chairman, explained in a statement that Osi would succeed Oladipo Badru, whose tenure lasted nine months in acting CEO position. Osi has more than 28 years of experience in the telecommunications sector across various regions of Africa.
Prior to his appointment as CEO, he had served as the head of network deployment at Airtel Nigeria, operations director and chief technical information officer at MIC Tanzania, chief technology officer roles at IPT PowerTech Nigeria, Rhino Niger Networks and Biswal Nigeria.
He obtained a degree in electrical/ electronic engineering from the University of Benin and a postgraduate diploma in data science and business analytics from the University of Texas.
Telecom
NCC Introduces N10m Licence Fee for Bulk SMS Service

Companies sending bulk international text messages, also known as Application-to-Person (A2P) messages, will now have apply for a licence that costs N10 million.
This is part of new rules introduced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) aimed at cleaning up the system, fighting fraud, blocking spam messages and stopping money from leaving the country unchecked.
These A2P messages are the kind customers get from banks, online stores, hospitals and political campaigns, automated texts sent from apps to their phones.
According to the commission, the bulk international text message system has been poorly regulated, allowing misuse and invasion of privacy.
“The International SMS Service Ecosystem in Nigeria has not been fully brought under regulatory control. It has been observed that the excessive use of the Short Message Service has led to fraud, spam and illegal activities,” the NCC said.
The regulator warned that without action, the problem would worsen as more people use mobile phones and digital services.
To solve this, the NCC is creating a central platform, or gateway, through which all international bulk text messages must pass through.
The agency said this would help to monitor messages in real time, ensure proper fees are paid, and make sure the money stays in Nigeria where it can contribute to the economy.
As part of the incoming change, service providers must follow strict rules, including strong data protection, spam filters, and message encryption.
Also, they must also work with local mobile networks and make sure all messages come from a verified sender
The NCC warned that any message without a proper sender ID will be blocked and not delivered to users.
To protect users from unwanted texts, the new rules say companies must get clear permission before sending any promotional content.
The rule also says people must also be able to choose whether they want to receive such messages or not.
Companies are now required to keep records of all messages for at least six months and must clearly state all charges involved.
The NCC said fees for help requests, cancellations, or service info must be transparent and not include hidden charges.
The commission will issue licences to several providers to encourage healthy competition but may limit new licences if needed.
Only companies that show they can stop fraud and safely deliver messages will be allowed to operate. They must also regularly report their message traffic and finances to the NCC.
It warned that any company that breaks the rules risks getting fined, suspended, or having its licence revoked.
Offences like charging illegal tariffs, ignoring security rules, or avoiding taxes will be punished, the NCC said.
The commission added that the new rules follow the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023 and support the federal government’s goal of strengthening cybersecurity and controlling Nigeria’s digital space.
The framework will also be reviewed from time to time to keep up with new technology and market trends.
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