NCC reportedly slams telcom giant with N1 trillion fine over pre-registered SIMs

folarin okunola

October 26, 2015 11:37 AM

Back in September, The NCC had sanctioned all four of Nigeria’s leading telecommunications companies including MTN for having pre-registered SIMs on their database.

A man speaks on a mobile phone as he walks past a MTN shop at a shopping mall south of Johannesburg June 6, 2012. Africa's biggest wireless phone operator, MTN Group, said a Liberian court has stopped the country's telecoms regulator from suspending the company's licence, but the watchdog insisted the suspension remained on track. The Liberia Telecommunication Authority (LTA) said last month it would suspend the operating licence for South Africa's MTN for two weeks after the company cut off its competitor, Comium, accusing it of unpaid interconnection fees. Picture taken June 6. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko (SOUTH AFRICA - Tags: BUSINESS TELECOMS)

Reports say that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has slapped telecommunications giant MTN Nigeria with a hefty N1.04 trillion fine over an alleged breach of SIM registration rules.

According to media reports, MTN allegedly had pre-registered SIMs on its database, thereby making it difficult to verify details of subscribers from biometric attributes, ultimately compromising national security.

Back in September, The NCC had sanctioned all four of Nigeria’s leading telecommunications companies including MTN for having pre-registered SIMs on their database.

READ: Telcommunications company is the largest distributor of music in Nigeria

MTN had originally been assigned a N120.2 million fine for said breach of regulation.

The NCC insists that the practice of using biometrics for SIM verification works as a credential for proof of ownership as well as creating a sense of accountability among SIM owners in case they attempt to use their phones for criminal activities.

folarin okunola