Mobile telecoms operators in Nigeria have disclosed that they are yet to get approval to resume registration of new Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards.
This follows the Federal government’s announcement that telecom operators can resume the registration of new SIM cards to subscribers. The telecom operators disclosed this in Lagos on Friday.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), no SIM registration was done in some of the network providers’ customer service outlets that were visited, as most subscribers who requested for new SIMs were turned down.
Some officials of the different network stores who wished to remain anonymous said they were yet to get approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to roll out sales of new SIM cards.
They said, “We are aware of the lift in ban of new SIM cards but we have not been given the official ‘green light to go ahead. We still await instructions from the authorities on that issue and that is what we tell our subscribers when they request for it.
We want to follow due process so that we are not held responsible for any SIM card sales, hence we only retrieve old SIMs that were lost with proof of ownership and of course the NIN identification.”
While speaking, some of the subscribers said that they needed new SIMs for their wards, businesses and other needs and hope that the government will quickly give the network providers the permission to start the reissuing of the new SIM.
– NAN