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Nigeria’s mobile networks have seen a huge drop in active subscriptions as 64.3 million unverified lines were disconnected following the National Identification Number (NIN) and SIM card linkage exercise. This move, mandated by the Nigerian government, was aimed at improving security and accountability.
Data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Monday shows that the four major operators—MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile—collectively experienced a sharp decline in subscribers between March and September 2024.
Globacom and 9mobile Hit Hard
Globacom lost the most, with active subscriptions dropping from 62.1 million in March to just 19.1 million in September, a loss of 43 million lines. Similarly, 9mobile’s subscriber base fell from 11.6 million to 3.6 million in the same period, losing eight million lines.
By September’s end, total active subscriptions across all operators stood at 154.6 million, a steep drop from 219 million recorded in March.
MTN and Airtel Less Affected
MTN Nigeria, the largest operator, saw its subscriptions drop from 81.7 million in March to 78 million in September—a loss of 3.7 million lines. Airtel Nigeria also recorded a decline, from 63.3 million to 53.7 million, losing 9.6 million lines.
Despite the relatively smaller losses compared to Globacom and 9mobile, the disconnections are expected to affect the revenue of MTN and Airtel. Airtel’s parent company, Airtel Africa, reported potential monthly revenue losses of up to $4 million due to unverified lines as of June 2024.
NIN-SIM Linkage Completed
Dr. Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, confirmed that all active phone numbers in Nigeria are now linked to verified NINs. Speaking at a recent event, Maida stressed the importance of this achievement for national security, saying, “We can now confidently link every active phone number to its user through a verified NIN. This is a major step in fighting fraud and other criminal activities.”
The NIN-SIM linkage initiative, which began in 2020, was designed to ensure every mobile number is properly registered and linked to a unique identification. Operators and regulators now see this as a critical measure to boost security and accountability in the telecom sector.
