NCC lists new rules to deactivate inactive mobile lines

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) may have updated its telecom identity risk management policy (TIRMP), allowing a window of one year for an inactive phone line to be reassigned to a new subscriber.

The TIRMP platform is NCC’s way of developing a cross-sector platform to collect and share data on churned (recycled) phone numbers as well as numbers that have been flagged as having been used for fraudulent activities, as reported by other sector regulators.

A reliable source at the commission said that the platform would help prevent the misuse of numbers when they change hands. The information on this platform will be made available to relevant stakeholders across various sectors.

According to the report, the commission is putting plans in place to launch the updated policy framework by the 4th quarter of this year.

The source said the new initiative aligned with the commission’s strategic vision plan, which aims not only to meet the quality-of-service expectations of telecom consumers but also address their quality of experience, involving every touchpoint they encountered within the telecommunications ecosystem; from onboarding processes, such as SIM registration, to offboarding, which is when they choose to leave a network.

The new guidelines states that when a phone number has not carried out any revenue-generating event, outgoing or incoming calls or SMS, charged USSD sessions, data use, or any activity on the line that generates income for the operator, for over 180 days, the MSISDN is deemed inactive.

If this inactivity continues for another 180 days, that is a total of 360 days, the line becomes eligible for churning, and recycling.

“The QoS Regulation and Business Rules 2024 provides that after 365 days without any Revenue Generating Event carried out on a line it can be churned by the operator,” the source said.

What that means is that the Mobile Network Operators, who have leased these lines from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), are free to reassign them by putting them back into the market.

The source added: “Numbering resources, such as telephone numbers and short codes, are the backbone of modern telecommunications. They are governed globally by the International Telecommunication Union, ITU, under Recommendation E.164, which ensures efficiency, and equitable access to numbers across borders.’’

The NCC stated that numbering resources were inherently scarce because each number must conform to a fixed length and format, yielding only a finite set of valid combinations.

Information on the commissions website states: “In Nigeria, the NCC, mandated by the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, manages and allocates these critical resources on behalf of the federal government.

‘’The NCC assigns number ranges to licensed operators and services (mobile, fixed, and special) in a manner that promotes fair competition, protects consumers, fosters innovation, and aligns with ITU standards and global best practices.

“The recycling of lines presents challenges, particularly when the previous owners of reassigned numbers still have those numbers linked to services they used before the numbers were recycled. It presents issues of security and integrity of phone number ownership.”

The new policy will reduce fraud risks and improve digital and financial services by enabling service providers to proactively detect and act, particularly to high-risk numbers, while updating their customer details where applicable.
“The NCC will host the platform and establish its regulatory and operational framework. We are currently working with the CBN, security agencies, and other key stakeholders, with a beta solution already being tested” an NCC source stated.