The Federal Government ordered telecommunications companies including MTN, Globacom, Airtel, and 9mobile to block all outgoing calls from Subscriber Identification Module cards that have not yet been linked to the National Identification Number beginning on April 4, 2022.
Airtel Nigeria, a telecommunications company, has lamented revenue loss as approximately 8.5 million of its customers have yet to comply with the linkage.
Airtel Nigeria reported that only 35.9 million of its 44.4 million active customers had linked their NINs to their SIM cards as of the end of April 2022, roughly one month after the ban went into effect.
According to reports, 8.5 million subscribers of Airtel had yet complied and were said to have been placed on ‘receive only’ status, meaning all their outgoing calls would not go through but would receive incoming calls.
Airtel Africa, the parent body of the Airtel Nigeria, made this known in its financial report for the year, ended March 2022.
Airtel noted that the number of its customers that were yet to link their NIN had affected its revenue for the year by 7 percent.
Airtel Africa report said, “As of the end of April 2022, we have collated NIN information for 35.9 million active customers. Outgoing voice revenues for those active subscribers who have not yet linked their NIN with their SIM amount to around 7 percent of total revenues from Nigeria, and around 3 percent of total revenues for the Group.
“However, our experience of adopting similar procedures in other countries suggests that SIM registration is accelerated, and some SIM consolidation is likely to occur in response to implementation, potentially reducing any financial impact.
“As of the end of the year, Airtel Nigeria had an active customer base of 44.4 million and posted revenue of $1.878 million. We continue to work closely with the regulator and impacted customers to help them to comply with the registration requirements, making every effort to minimise disruption and ensure affected customers can continue to benefit from full-service connectivity as soon as possible; in line with our aim to drive increased connectivity and digital inclusion across Nigeria.”