NCC to telcos: Block SIM cards five minutes after they’re reported stolen

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has ordered all telecommunications companies (telcos) to block stolen subscriber identification module (SIM) cards within five minutes of receiving a report from subscribers.

NCC said any further usage should not be chargeable to the consumer from the moment the report is filed.

In a recent publication ‘Quality of Service Business Rules,’ issued in August 2024, the NCC also introduced several new standards aimed at improving customer service in the telecommunications sector.

The guidelines stipulate minimum service standards, associated measurements and key performance indicators (KPIs) for telecom operators.

One of the critical mandates included in the new rules is that telcos must ensure subscribers are attended to within 30 minutes of their arrival at service centres.

“It must not exceed 30 minutes. The licensee shall provide means of measuring the waiting time, starting from the time of arrival at the premises,” NCC said.

The commission has also implemented further enhancements to customer service interactions in addition to shorter wait times.

NCC said customers must speak with live personnel within five minutes.

“Maximum number of call-attempts before connecting to customer care lines should not be more than three (3) times,” the commission said.

“Maximum number of rings before a call is answered by either an IVR machine or a live agent should not be more than five.

“Where a customer decides to speak to a live agent, the maximum duration allowable on the queue/IVR should be 5 minutes before answer.

“In exceptional cases where live agent may be unavailable within 5 minutes to answer the call, a customer should be given an option to hanging up to be called back within a maximum time of 30 minutes.”

‘INTERNET OUTAGE MUST NOT EXCEED TWO HOURS’

Regarding internet services, the NCC said internet outages must not exceed two hours.

According to the regulator, internet outages that last over two hours must be in cases of lawful disconnection.

The commission also issued warnings regarding the deactivation of subscriber lines.

According to the NCC, if a subscriber’s line is not used for any revenue-generating event for a year, the line risks being blocked.

The regulator advised subscribers to request for line parking if they have valid reasons for not using their lines to avoid losing their numbers.

“A subscriber line may be deactivated if it has not been used within six months for a revenue-generating event (RGE). If the situation persists for another 6 months, the subscriber may lose his/her number, except for network-related faults inhibiting an RGE,” NCC said.

NCC said these measures are in furtherance to its objectives of development and monitoring of performance standards and indices relating to the quality of telephone and other communications services in Nigeria.