NCC registers 93m SIMs, will begin disconnection from 1 January

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has so far registered around 93 million mobile lines over the course of its SIM registration campaign, local newspaper BusinessDay cites the regulator’s executive vice chairman, Eugene Juwah, as saying. Following the successful completion of the scheme, Juwah said that the commission will begin to implement mobile number portability (MNP) next year to enhance competition in the market and improve the quality of wireless services. TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database states that the six-month SIM registration exercise was scheduled to conclude on 28 September 2011, but the deadline was subsequently extended during the harmonisation process for an unspecified period to allow any remaining subscribers to register their details. The final deadline has since been announced as 31 December 2011, after which all unregistered SIM cards will be disconnected without further notice, The Nation reports.