The Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has announced that harmonized shortcodes will be implemented across all networks.
Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of ALTON, said in a statement on Tuesday that this was in accordance with the Nigerian Communications Commission’s regulatory modernization initiative (NCC).
According to Mr. Adeoye, short code harmonization entails making the common short codes used by customers uniform across all networks.
He stated that short code harmonization aims to implement a streamlined process for common short codes across the industry.
Adebayo said the initiative would make life easier for Nigerians through the memorization of single codes for various services across all networks, as well as providing a cohesive regulatory framework that is consistent with global best practices.
“Following the directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Association hereby informs the general public that the network operators have begun implementing the shortcodes, working closely with the NCC.
“The commission has provided adequate time for subscribers to get used to this new development. We are confident this will enhance the customer experience across networks,” he said.
Adebayo said the migration, which was to be concluded by May 17, 2023, would run concurrently, after which the old codes would cease to operate.
He said that the proposed harmonized shortcodes included, call center/help desk (300), voice mail deposit (301), voice mail retrieval (302), and borrow services (303).
The chairman said that others were stop services (304), check balance (310), credit recharge (311), a data plan (312), share services (321), data plan balance (323), verification of SIM registration (NIN) – SIM linkage (996), and porting services (MNP) (2442).
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