Line barring has nothing to do with planned protest – Telecom Operators

The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has refuted online reports suggesting that the ongoing subscriber line barring exercise is connected to the planned national protest, #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.

On Saturday, many Nigerians were barred from making or receiving calls by their mobile operators, just days before the nationwide protest scheduled for August 1.

However, ALTON, in a statement sent to Neusroom, clarified that the subscriber line barring exercise is related to the National Identity Number (NIN) and SIM card registration linkage deadline, which was set for July 31, 2024. The association emphasized that this process has been ongoing for several months to enhance the integrity of the National SIM registration database.

“There’s absolutely no connection between the two. The NIN/SIM link registration deadline was earlier set for July 31, 2024,” said Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, ALTON Chairman, in the statement.

“The harmonization exercise of the SIM Registration database and National Identity Database has been ongoing for several months. This is aimed at improving the integrity of the National SIM registration database. Customers who had their lines blocked recently are those whose service providers found a mismatch between their records on both databases.”

At a walk-in MTN centre in Ikeja, the capital of Lagos, Neusroom observed numerous users seeking to unblock their SIM cards. However, ALTON has provided guidelines for users to unblock their lines without needing to visit their service providers in person.

ALTON advised affected customers to contact their service providers to resolve any issues related to their blocked lines.

Here are the step-by-step instructions for unblocking SIM cards for various Telecom Operators:

1. Airtel: Dial *121# and input your eleven-digit NIN number. A confirmation message will be sent indicating that the SIM card has been successfully unbarred.

2. 9Mobile: Dial 2008#.

3. Glo: Dial 109Your NIN number#. For example, if your NIN is 12345678901, dial 10912345678901# and follow the prompts.

4. MTN: Visit nin.mtn.ng to check the NIN status and link it if necessary. An OTP and the NIN will be required to complete the process.

5. Smile: Send your valid NIN to customercare@smile.com.ng or call 07020444444. Consent will be required, and upon successful verification of the NIN, the line will be unbarred.

6. Spectranet: Call toll-free line 8002345678, email care@spectranet.com.ng, or visit the Spectranet website to submit your NIN. KYC completion at a Spectranet store is necessary to finalize the process.

7. Ntel: Visit any Ntel store with your NIN. Fingerprint verification will be used to call up your existing KYC profile, after which the line will be updated and unbarred.

Subscribers who encounter difficulties with these online steps can physically visit any walk-in centers of their operators to unblock their lines.

ALTON reiterated its commitment to supporting the Nigerian government and upholding citizens’ rights.

“As an industry, we respect and commit to protecting the rights of all people to communicate, to share information freely and responsibly, and to enjoy privacy and security regarding their data and their use of digital communications,” the statement read.