MTN Nigeria has disconnected 4.2 million lines from its network due to the lapse of the February 28 deadline for linking National Identification Numbers (NIN) with mobile SIMs.
This was disclosed in the company’s audited financial results released on Friday.
Since December 2023, when the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) issued a directive requiring full barring of unlinked lines, MTN has subjected 19 million lines to verification, with 4.3 million verified and 4.2 million disconnected as of February 28, 2024.
MTN stated that the revenue impact of the disconnected lines was minimal as they were low-value subscribers.
Additionally, the company added over 4 million subscribers in 2023, bringing the total to 79.7 million, and increased data subscribers by over 5 million to 44.6 million.
This growth was supported by investments in network quality and coverage, as well as the acquisition of additional spectrum.
The NCC directive mandates full network barring on all lines without linked NINs, with further deadlines for verification and unbaring.
