The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has issued a public notice alerting subscribers and stakeholders of a temporary disruption to SIM-related services across all mobile networks in Nigeria.
The outage follows a directive from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) mandating telecom operators to transition to a new identity verification platform.
According to the statement by ALTON, the migration has resulted in technical challenges that have affected key services such as:
- SIM registration
- SIM replacement
- SIM swaps
- Mobile Number Portability (MNP)
- Activation of new subscribers
ALTON clarified that while the goal of the new platform is to strengthen Nigeria’s identity management system, the transition has disrupted real-time verification processes, rendering SIM services temporarily unavailable nationwide.
Industry stakeholders, including ALTON and member Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), are working with regulatory bodies like the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and NIMC to resolve the integration hurdles.
The association apologized to subscribers for the inconvenience, urging customers to postpone visits to service centers for SIM-related requests until further notice.
Despite the setback, ALTON reaffirmed its commitment to delivering secure, compliant, and high-quality telecom services, promising regular updates as efforts progress.
