#Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON)

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NITRA, ALTON to host stakeholders on CNII & Sustainability discuss

As the telecom industry grapples with the challenge of how to secure its infrastructure and ensure that investments in the telecoms space are protected, following the recent Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) status granted it by the Federal Government, the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) has called for an all-stakeholder approach. NITRA, the umbrella Association…

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Vandalism Threat to Telecom Services Prompts Telcos to Act

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria has issued an urgent call for government and security intervention as a wave of vandalism and theft targeting critical infrastructure threatens to disrupt services nationwide. The Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, said in a statement on Thursday that the surge in attacks on telecommunications facilities could lead to a…

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Telcos say latest SIM barring has no connection with planned August 1 protest 

The Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has debunked the rumours that the latest barring of SIMs by network operators was an attempt to frustrate the planned protest billed to start August 1.   The ALTON Chairman, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday night, noting that it was just coincidental that the barring of…

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SIM-NIN linkage: NCC rules out extension, telcos bar 12 million lines

The Nigerian Communications Commission has ruled out an extension of the February 28, 2024 deadline for the linkage of Subscriber Identity Module cards to National Identification Numbers. As a result, telecommunication companies have been directed to bar 12 million lines which have not been linked to the owners’ NINs after the expiration of the deadline. The Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Reuben Mouka, confirmed the development to The PUNCH on Wednesday. Reaffirming the NCC’s stance, Mouka stated, “We already issued a public notice in this regard and all the information. If there was an extension, NCC would have communicated that. But as far as I know, there is no extension.” In a December 2023 notice, the NCC had asked telcos to bar SIMs that had not been linked to their owners’ NINs by February 28, 2024. It further asked the Global Satellite Mobile Communications firms to bar those whose NINs have been submitted but not verified by March 29, 2024; and interdict those who have less than five lines linked to an unverified NIN by April 15, 2024. The Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, Gbenga Adebayo, confirmed to The PUNCH that telecom operators would comply with the NCC’s directive. He said out of the 224 million active lines, about 12m lines risked deactivation. Adebayo said, “About 12 million SIM cards may not have been linked to NIN. Some of these SIM cards work on modems and mifi devices. According to the regulatory directives, those numbers that are not properly linked to NIN will have services withdrawn to them by midnight today. We stand by that regulatory directive and we are going to comply,” The ALTON chairman also dismissed speculations about a possible extension, stating that the deadline ought to have happened last year. He declared, “No, the regulator has made it clear that there won’t be any further extension. Let us remember that this ought to have happened last year, but it was extended by the regulator till the 28th of February, 2024.” Since the NCC first ordered the suspension of SIM cards without NIN on December 15, 2020, there had been a rapid increase in the number of people obtaining their NINs. Between the period the order was given and the second deadline date, January 19, 2021, Nigerian mobile operators received 47.8m new submissions from active subscribers. In 2021, about 21 million subscribers were yet to obtain their NIN, even as the deadline for registration approached A high-ranking official at MTN Nigeria, who was not authorised to comment publicly on the matter, informed The PUNCH that the company planned to disconnect the defaulting subscribers in compliance with the directive. According to the official, there has not been any counter-directives from the NCC. Emphasising that it is a federal issue, the official pointed out that some lines had been disconnected earlier. “Remember, this is not an issue with the telcos. It’s a Federal Government issue, and before now, some lines were being disconnected. If they wanted to extend the deadline, they would have issued another notice, but they aren’t as I speak to you,” the official stated. In response to the situation, a Public Relations official at Airtel Nigeria, Sam Adeoye, mentioned that Airtel would release an official statement on the development. However, Chineze Amanfo, Lead, Public Relations at 9Mobile, did not respond to calls when contacted by our correspondent. Court order Meanwhile, the Federal High Court in Lagos has restrained telecom operators from deactivating or barring any line or SIM not linked to their NINs. Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa restrained the telcos while ruling on an application filed by a Lagos-based lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje. Lewis-Allagoa made the order on February 22, 2024, while ruling on a motion for the restraining orders filed by Ogungbeje. Ogungbeje, in a suit marked FHC/L/CS/667/23, sued the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, and Airtel Network Nigeria Limited before the court. He asked the court for an injunction pending appeal, ‘’restraining all the respondents jointly or severally, whether, by themselves, their agents, outlets, agencies, privies, officials, servants, men, parastatals, units, organs, or anybody or person however so called, from taking any step or action capable of enforcing the judgment in anyway and from further outright barring, deactivating and or restricting any SIM cards or his phone Lines, or of any Nigerian Citizen, slated for February 28, 2024, or any other scheduled date, pending the hearing and determination of his appeal at the Court of Appeal, against the court’s judgment delivered on May 8, 2023, by Justice Lewis-Allagoa.’’ When quizzed about the NCC’s reaction to the court injunction, Mouka responded, “We are not aware of any court injunction stopping the NCC from barring lines that have not been linked with NIN.” Earlier today, at the ongoing 45th Kaduna International Trade, the Executive Vice Chairman, National Communication Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, insisted that, as a matter of critical national security, telecom consumers must link their NIN to their SIM. Maida reaffirmed that the February 28th deadline was given to telecom operators to bar subscribers who failed to link their NIN to their SIM stands. “To this end, the National Communication Commission has directed all telecommunication operators to bar the phone lines of subscribers whose lines are not linked to their NINs on or before February 28, 2024,” he added. In his reaction to Mouka’s statement that the NCC was not aware of his suit, Ogungbeje said the position of the commission is ‘’most ridiculous and shameful.’’ Ogungbeje stated that the Federal Government of Nigeria and the AGF were part of the suit, stressing that the NCC as an agency of the Federal Government must obey the court order restraining it from barring SIMs not linked to NINs. He said, “The order specifically stated that both the Federal Government and its agencies are hereby restrained. A very good instance is the order of the Supreme Court in respect of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Godwin Emefiele’s policy on the new naira notes. “That position by the NCC is most ridiculous and shameful. The Federal Government of Nigeria and the Attorney General of the Federation are part of the suit.’’ “So in this instant case, the NCC is bound by the order of the court as the court restrained both the Federal Government and it agencies, including the telecom firms.” Network glitches On Wednesday, major operators across the country, including MTN, Airtel, and 9Mobile, grappled with a widespread network connection crisis. Subscribers were unable to make calls due to glitches attributed to a fibre optic cable cut. The chairman of ALTON, Adebayo, clarified that the telecom connection failure experienced by subscribers was unconnected to the NIN/SIM link deadline. He attributed the connectivity issue to the significant fibre cuts made by road contractors employed by the Federal Government. The ALTON chairman noted, “What you have seen today as difficulty in connection has nothing to do with the NIN/SIM link deadline. “There have been significant fibre cuts across the country, and this has impacted connectivity today, but efforts are being made by affected telecom operators to rectify this situation.” He assured the public that efforts were being made to salvage the situation as soon as practicable while emphasising the need to protect telecom infrastructure. “Appropriate reports would be made to the right quarters. The cuts can be traced to the activities of the Federal Government by contractors doing road work. This is why it is imperative to safeguard telecom infrastructure, going by what we have seen today. “If we have critical national infrastructure protection, maybe what happened today wouldn’t have happened. We put it on the doorstep of the government to ensure that road contractors do not continue to cause this type of damage.” The incident left countless residents in communication limbo, sparking a digital uproar across social media platforms. Users have taken to expressing their frustration, detailing their struggles with the sudden loss of connection on social media. A WhatsApp user, Emekuku said, “It’s frustrating when network providers in Nigeria cite server or application issues as reasons for service problems, leaving customers unable to resolve their issues. “It highlights the need for improved infrastructure and communication from the providers to address such issues promptly and transparently.” Another user, Babatee, noted, ‘’MTN is trying so hard to compete with Glo for the award of the most useless network in Nigeria. Dear MTN, no matter how hard you try, Glo will always be miles ahead of you when it comes to uselessness. So stop playing, fam.’’ MTN network Another subscriber said, “The poor MTN network knocked me out of an important meeting and kept me incommunicado for several hours. “Even now, they have only restored data services, but still no call or SMS. Not that they can ever say, ‘Oh, sorry for the network failure, oya take free airtime and data.’ Lai-lai.” An Airtel user wrote, “It appears that the frustration with network services in Nigeria is widespread. The lack of a reliable network service provider affects many users, and the absence of explanations from the providers regarding disruptions in data and call services raises concerns. “The situation may not be trending because such issues might be common and not getting enough attention. In a statement released by MTN, the telecom company acknowledged the existence of a connectivity problem and committed to resolving the issue promptly. According to the telco, the problem started at about 1.39 on Wednesday, February 28, 2024. In its reaction via X, MTN Nigeria blamed the network issue on multiple fibre cuts, even as it assured customers that its engineers were working assiduously to restore normal services. The statement read, “Dear Customer, you have been experiencing challenges connecting to the network due to a major service outage caused by multiple fibre cuts, affecting voice and data services. “Our engineers are working hard to resolve this, with services gradually being restored in some areas. “We apologise for the inconvenience and ask for your patience & understanding as the team works to restore full service as soon as possible.” Read the full article

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Telecom operators threaten to shutdown banks’ USSD services over N80bn debt

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has threatened to disconnect banks in the country from the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) over rising debt. Members of ALTON include MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Glo and 9Mobile, and other telecoms operators. Some banks and the Telecom operators disagreed last year after the network providers threatened to…

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Customers to pay more for Data, calls, messages as telecoms mull 40% tariff hike

Customers to pay more for Data, calls, messages as telecoms mull 40% tariff hike

Customers to pay more for Data, calls, messages as telecoms mull 40% tariff hike Telecommunication companies have said they are considering an increase in tariffs paid by subscribers for voice calls, short message services (SMS) and data. The companies made this known through their umbrella body Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON). in a letter to the Nigerian…

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Telecom Operators Block Unlinked NIN-SIM Calls

Telecom Operators Block Unlinked NIN-SIM Calls

Telecommunication operators have blocked lines of Nigerians yet to link their National Identification Number (NIN) with their SIM.  The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) confirmed this through its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, and Head of Operations, Gbolahan Awonuga on Tuesday.  They confirmed that operators received a formal directive from the Nigerian…

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FG directs telcos to bar outgoing calls on all unregistered lines The telecommunication companies have been instructed by the Federal government to prohibit all outgoing calls on lines that are not yet registered from today, April 4, 2022. According to Ikechukwu Adinde, director, public affairs, NCC and Kayode Adegoke, head, corporate communications, NIMC, in a joint statement, said that the directive to bar all outgoing calls on sims not yet registered and linked with the National Identification Number (NIN) came after several extension of deadlines. The statement read “It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, gave the directive for the implementation and commencement of the exercise in December 2020, as part of the administration’s security and social policies. The deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage has been extended on multiple occasions to allow Nigerians to freely comply with the Policy. The FG also took into consideration the passionate appeals by several bodies – Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Civil Societies, Professional Bodies and a host of others – for the extension of the deadlines in the past. “Accordingly, Mr. President graciously approved the many requests to extend deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage. At this point however, Government has determined that the NIN-SIM Policy implementation can proceed, as machinery has already been put in place to ensure compliance by citizens and legal residents. The implementation impacts on Government’s strategic planning, particularly in the areas of security and socio-economic projections.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb7QtbdJS3F/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Operators to begin 5G deployment on satellite

September 17, 2021 •As NIGCOMSAT-2 launches 2023 There is  possibility that telecom operators will first deploy the Fifth Generation, 5G network on satellite, next year, when the Nigerian Communications Commissions, NCC, may have finished auctioning the new network regime. The Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, ALTON, Engr Gbenga Adebayo, dropped the hint yesterday…

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Telcos to Withdraw Banks’ USSD Service over N42bn Debt

Telcos to Withdraw Banks’ USSD Service over N42bn Debt

NewsMediang. Com. Telecoms operators (Telcos) under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the umbrella body of Network Operators, Infrastructure Companies and Value Added Services (VAS) providers, have threatened to withdraw the Unstructured Supplementary Service (USSD) it offers banks and other Financial Service Providers (FSP) over accumulated debt…

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Nigerian telcos mull price hike amid financial struggles

Last week, telecommunications companies in Nigeria deliberated on increasing prices for calls and data services. The move comes amidst financial hardships, with major players like MTN Nigeria reporting significant losses due to the depreciation of the naira, while Airtel also experienced a downturn in revenue. The Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) noted that despite the…

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Kogi, MTN Settle Dispute, Network Services Resume

Telecommunications services disrupted in Kogi State are expected to resume by Wednesday following a resolution of the dispute between MTN Nigeria and the state government, the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria has said. The Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, told PUNCH Online on Tuesday that the issues that led to the shutdown of telecom masts in the state, primarily…

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Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know Thursday morning

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers: 1. The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has ruled out an extension of the February 28, 2024, deadline for the linkage of Subscriber Identity Module cards to National Identification Numbers. As a result, telecommunication companies have been directed to bar 12 million lines which have not been linked to the owners’ NINs after the expiration of the deadline. 2. President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, appealed for patience from Nigerians over the current economic hardship in the country, giving the assurance that there was light at the end of the tunnel. The President said he was fully aware and took responsibility for the difficulties Nigerians had been subjected to on account of government policies. 3. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Wednesday, said the importation of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, into Nigeria has reduced by 50 per cent since the withdrawal of subsidy on the commodity. 4. The military Joint Task Force, North-West Operation Hadarin Daji, said on Wednesday that it neutralised scores of bandits and rescued eight kidnapped victims in Zamfara State. The Information Officer of Operation Hadarin Daji, Lt. Col. Suleiman Omale, stated this in a statement on Wednesday in Gusau. 5. The war against illegal oil bunkering and oil theft received a huge boost on Wednesday as troops of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, uncovered over 40 dugout crude oil wells in Rumuekpe community, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State. The troops uncovered the site during a sweep-and-clear operation on the Trans Niger Delta Pipeline. 6. Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested five suspected cultists, Emeka Eke, Chizoba Okolie, Samson Ochonobor, Friday Agbebayo and Julius Eguasa, for engaging in a street fight in Edo State. It was gathered that the suspects, alleged to be members of the Eiye Confraternity, engaged in street fighting at the Ramat Park area over failure to pay monthly dues and attend meetings of Eiye confraternity. 7. Two Binance executives — an American and a British- Pakistani — have been detained on the orders of National Security Adviser, NSA Nuhu Ribadu over alleged involvement in foreign exchange manipulations. It was learnt last night that the Federal Government obtained a Court Warrant to detain the men for 12 days, pending further investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. 8. An Executive Order to “significantly reduce the cost of drugs and pharmaceutical products” in the country will soon be signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Health and Social Welfare Minister, Muhammed Pate stated these on Wednesday during the second edition of the Ministerial Press Briefing Series in Abuja. 9. Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) apologised yesterday to their subscribers for the service hitches they have experienced for some days. The MNOs, under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria, ALTON, blamed the service disruptions on “severe fibre cuts” by contractors. 10. The Federal Government has allayed the fear of job loss with the implementation of the Oronsaye Report. Speaking at the fourth edition of the Ministerial Press Briefing Series in Abuja on Wednesday, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the implementation of the report would not lead to retrenchment. Read the full article

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Telcos Mull Tariff Hike As Diesel Price Skyrockets

Telcos Mull Tariff Hike As Diesel Price Skyrockets

Telecommunica-tions services providers under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria have said a tariff review for telco services may happen if the rise in the price of diesel is sustained. The Chairman, ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, disclosed this to our correspondent in an interview. According to him, the telecoms industry is one of the major consumers of diesel in the…

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Telecoms operators apologise for network outage

Telecoms operators apologise for network outage

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) on Wednesday said some of its members were experiencing network outage, which was affecting the quality of services provided to subscribers.

In a statement in Lagos, Mr Gbenga Adebayo, the President of ALTON, on behalf of its members, appealed to subscribers to bear with them.

The ALTON President said that unfortunately,…

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Telecom operators begin implementation of harmonised shortcodes

Telecommunications operators in Nigeria have begun the implementation of harmonized shortcodes for their services. This is in line with the regulatory modernization initiative by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to ensure that shortcodes are uniform across all networks. The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) disclosed this in a statement released…