MTN Suspends Sale, Registration Of New SIM Cards

Nigeria’s largest telecommunication operator, MTN Group Ltd has suspended SIM card sales and registration across its outlets, the mobile operator  has announced.

The announcement comes after the Nigerian Communications Commissions directed all mobile operators to suspend registration and Sale of SIMs to allow audit. 

The Commission also threatened sanctions where operators failed to comply. Part of the sanction could be withdrawal of operating license.

The operator said in a release on Thursday that following the commission’s directive, it has suspended the sale, activation and registration of its SIM.

MTN said, “In accordance with the announcement from the Nigerian Communications Commission, directing the nationwide suspension of new SIM card sales and activations, and initiating a Subscriber Registration Database audit, MTN Nigeria has suspended the sale, registration and activation of new SIM cards across all touchpoints.

“This includes MTN Service Centres, Connect Stores and all affiliated Retail/Trade Outlets.

“We regret the inconvenience this will cause some of our customers and are committed to working with the NCC to complete the planned audit in an efficient and seamless manner.

The operator said its customers could continue to access all other services such as airtime and data purchases, and live support via MyMTN App and its online channels.

Nigeria’s largest mobile operator also pledged  commitment  to supporting the efforts of the government to create a secure and sustainable digital economy.

The NCC had in 2015 fined MTN N330bn after the operator failed to disconnect SIM cards which were not properly registered as directed by the commission.