Telecom Services Stabilizes in Nigeria After Month-Long Disruption
By: Israel Adeleke
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports as gathered that major telecom operators, MTN and Airtel have confirmed the restoration of SIM-related services nationwide, marking the end of a month-long disruption that left millions of Nigerian subscribers unable to access essential mobile services.
OTN News further reports as gathered that the disruption, which began in late June, was caused by technical challenges associated with a backend migration process at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
The issues significantly impacted the verification of National Identification Numbers (NIN), a key requirement for SIM-related services such as SIM swaps and activations.
However, MTN Nigeria announced the resumption of services in a post on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, stating, “SIM swaps have now resumed. We can confirm that NIMC services are fully operational and appreciate their support in the migration to a new platform for NIN verification services for the telecommunications industry.”
Also, Airtel Nigeria also confirmed the development, writing: “The NIMC PORTAL is up and running. We regret earlier messages suggesting otherwise. We are sorry for the delay and are addressing the issue. We’ll update customers once resolved. We value our partnership with the NIMC and value your patience.”
Although Glo and 9mobile have not yet issued formal statements regarding the status of their services, but NIMC noted on its official X handle that restoration is ongoing across multiple networks.
OTN News observes that the resumption comes as a relief to countless subscribers who have been unable to access critical services, including SIM replacements, updates, and reactivations, due to the verification bottleneck.
MTN and Airtel have urged customers still experiencing delays to visit their nearest service centres for prompt assistance. Both companies expressed appreciation for users’ patience and understanding throughout the service outage.
On News, however, observes that the NIMC migration is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen digital identity infrastructure and enhance the efficiency and security of NIN verification systems used across key sectors, including telecommunications.
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