MTN Nigeria recently announced the disconnection of 4.2 million lines from its network following the expiration of the deadline for integrating National Identity Numbers (NIN) with mobile SIMs on February 28.

This move comes after the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) directive, instructing all telecom operators to implement full network barring on lines without submitted NINs by the specified date.

Notably, even individuals who provided their NINs but await verification face complete suspension. The directive extends to unverified NINs with five or more linked lines, with prohibition set before March 29, 2024. Similarly, lines with fewer connections to unconfirmed NINs will be blocked by April 15, 2024. Subscribers impacted by these measures must undergo biometric and biodata verification before their lines can be reinstated.

In its recently released audited financial results, MTN Nigeria clarified that the disconnected lines belonged to subscribers who failed to submit their NINs. Since the industry-wide regulation in December 2023 mandating the linking of NINs with subscriber lines, MTN Nigeria has verified 19 million lines, with 4.3 million successfully verified and 4.2 million disconnected as of February 28, 2024.

Despite these actions, MTN Nigeria assured that the disconnections would not significantly impact its revenue, as most affected users were low-value subscribers. The company emphasized its active engagement with authorities to expedite the NIN verification process and its increased efforts to assist affected customers in verifying their identities through various channels, aiming to minimize service disruptions.