The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a directive requiring all telecommunications companies to block stolen SIM cards within five minutes of receiving a report from subscribers.
According to the NCC’s newly released ‘Quality of Service Business Rules,’ any usage of the stolen SIM after the report should not incur charges for the subscriber.
The guidelines, published in August 2024, aim to enhance customer service in the telecommunications sector by establishing minimum service standards and key performance indicators (KPIs) for operators.
One of the new regulations mandates that telcos must ensure subscribers receive assistance within 30 minutes of arriving at service centers.
Additionally, the NCC has introduced a rule that customers should be able to speak with a live representative within five minutes of calling customer care, with no more than three call attempts needed to connect.
For internet services, the NCC stated that outages should not exceed two hours, except in cases of lawful disconnection.
The NCC also warned subscribers about the risk of line deactivation due to inactivity.
Lines unused for six months may be deactivated, and after a year without revenue-generating activity, subscribers could lose their numbers unless they request line parking.
These measures are part of the NCC’s ongoing efforts to improve the quality and reliability of telecommunications services across Nigeria.