NCC to Block Stolen Sim Cards in Five Minutes

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC has proposed that the time taken to block the Subscribers Identity Module, sim card of a reported stolen phone should be reduced from 30 minutes to five minutes.

This was disclosed during the three-day public inquiries of six regulatory instruments at the commission in Abuja.

While presenting the Draft Quality of Service Business Rules, the Deputy Director, Technical Standards and Networks Integrity Department, Edoyemi Ogoh, noted that this amendment was being made.

He said according to the proposed amendment, once a phone was reported and confirmed stolen, the service provider would be required to block such a line within five minutes.

He said the reason for the amendment of the entire regulation was to catch up with the changes in the technological space, and stay up to date with trends the industry.

According to him, the essence was to ensure that subscribers got value for their money.

In his opening remark, the NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Prof Umar Danbatta, noted that the communications sector was critical for innovation and advancement in technology.

He added that the regulatory instruments reviewed during the public inquiry were essential to ensuring that the communications sector met the demands of the dynamic digital age.

Also, the NCC’s Director of Legal & Regulatory Services, Ms Helen Obi, said the amendment of the Quality of Service Regulations were intended to introduce stricter performance standards, more robust monitoring mechanisms, and more transparent reporting systems to improve the overall customer experience.