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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed all telecom companies in Nigeria to block stolen SIM cards within five minutes of receiving a report from the owner. This move is aimed at reducing SIM-related fraud and improving mobile phone security for users.
The NCC also instructed telecom operators to attend to customers at service centers within 30 minutes of their arrival.
These new rules, called the “Quality of Service Business Rules,” were introduced in August 2024 to improve the quality of services provided by telecom companies. They set specific standards for service delivery, including wait times and customer care responsiveness.
For customer support, the NCC stated that subscribers must be able to speak with a customer care representative within five minutes of calling. If the lines are busy, telecom companies must return the call within 30 minutes. Additionally, subscribers should not have to make more than three call attempts to connect with customer care.
The NCC also addressed internet service disruptions, stating that outages must not last more than two hours unless there is a valid reason for disconnection.
Subscribers were warned about losing their phone numbers if their lines remain inactive. If a line is not used for any revenue-generating activity (like calls or data) for six months, it may be deactivated. If inactivity continues for another six months, the number could be reassigned to someone else. However, subscribers can apply for “line parking” to temporarily keep their numbers if they have valid reasons for not using their lines.
