Audit shows no major issue of data depletion on Nigeria’s mobile networks—NCC  

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, stated this while reviewing the activities of the telecom regulator in 2024.

He, however, noted that the audit, which was concluded in Q3 2024, showed that there were minor issues on the networks, which the regulator is currently working to address.

“We had a hypothesis that it isn’t true that there is a data depletion issue in the industry. It could be perception. 

“So the first thing we did was that we immediately conducted a billing audit on the systems of the major MNOs, using reputable auditors. That exercise was completed in Q3 of this year and surprisingly, we didn’t find any major issues,” he said.

Maida said another major milestone for the telecom regulator in the year was the conclusion of the implementation of the federal government’s policy on the linkage of National Identification Number (NIN) with SIMs.

“You would agree with me that almost every transaction we perform today, in one way or the other, links back to your mobile number, whether it is your e-commerce or whether it is your registration for JAMB, or just generally any service that wants to reach you for customer support. 

“So having the ability to be able to clearly identify who knows what would instill a lot of confidence and integrity in the system, which would lay the right foundations for the digital economy,” the EVC said.

The compulsory linkage of NIN with SIM began in December 2020 when the government directed telecommunication companies to bar unregistered SIM cards and SIMs that were not linked to NIN.

The telecom regulator later announced a final deadline of September 14, for all lines to be linked with verified NIN, after which all unlinked or unverified lines were blocked.