Guidelines for online sim swap out

To ensure a secure process for Sim card replacement and curb incidents of fraudulent sim replacements which it says has become rampant in the telecommunications industry, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it has approved Online Sim Replacement (OSR).

Speaking at the Public Inquiries on the draft Enforcement Processes and Sim replacement guideline held in Abuja, on Tuesday, NCC Head of Legal services, Mrs. Akintoye Yetunde, stated that the initiative is contained in the new draft for Sim Replacement Guidelines.

While explaining that the draft Sim Replacement Guidelines is aimed at creating and providing a seamless, effective and efficient procedure for Sim replacement in Nigeria, she also noted, that OSR can only be carried out either through the National Service Providers’ (NSPs) website or self-service terminal.

According to her, the NSPs are expected to create on their websites platforms where subscribers can login to carry out Sim Replacement using a unique identification and PIN issued by the NSP.

The subscriber, she said would however, be required to purchase a new Sim card to which the information of the old Sim card would be transferred.

To activate the sim, the NCC’s head legal unit said, a replaced sim must be activated within two hours once the verification of subscriber information had been carried out.

She however warned that the NSPs shall be held liable for any Sim replacement carried out in violation of the guidelines or done fraudulently by its agent or dealer.

As part of measures to ensure the credibility of the system, she said the NSPs under the new guidelines are expected to carry out quarterly audit of sim replacement transactions carried out by both its staff and agents and a report forwarded to the Commission.

Earlier in his address, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah explained that the exercise was part of the Commission’s rule making process aimed at ensuring wide consultation in the development of regulatory instruments by the Commission in accordance with the Nigerian communications Act.

Read also: NCC wants telcos to stop vehicle tracking services

Juwah noted that the draft enforcement regulations which formed the second segment of the public inquiry was an amendment of the previous regulations issued to the industry in 2005.

Meanwhile, the Commission has rejected sim replacement via phone calls.

Requirements for sim replacement includes: the sim must have been registered in accordance with the registration of telephone subscribers regulations 2001; subscribers must fill a standard form; a valid photo identification; three most frequently called numbers; last recharge on the sim and the sim park.

According to the Commission, the reason was to forestall possible abuse of the process by fraudsters but promised to review the decision in future.

Ripples… without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now