Existing subscribers to telecommunications services who want new telephone lines must be made to explain why they need the lines , the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy , Dr Isa Pantami , has said.

Pantami said this while inaugurating the new chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission governing board in Abuja on Thursday .

He said the NCC would have to determine the number of mobile phone lines that could be used by an individual in the country.

The minister said henceforth , individuals who already had phone lines must be made to explain why they were requesting new SIM cards .

The Federal Government had recently directed the NCC to revise the policy on SIM card registration and usage .
The revision will involve making the National Identity Number a compulsory requirement for registration of new SIM cards, and restriction of the number of mobile phone lines for individuals.

Pantami , had while issuing the directive on February 5 , suggested that an individual should not have more than three mobile phone lines .

However , addressing members of the governing board and management of the Commission on Thursday , he explained that the actual number of mobile phone lines per individual had not been determined .

Pantami explained that the decision to review the policy on SIM card registration and usage was informed by issues raised by the security agencies , following the deactivation of unregistered SIM cards .

He said NCC would determine whether the number of mobile phone lines that could be used by an individual should be three , or more , or less .

According to him , it was recently discovered that one subscriber registered 57 SIM cards , all bearing his name , from the same network .

Noting that the development posed security challenges , the minister said, “ In many nations , when you have one SIM card , if you need another one , you must provide justification for that .

“ We should make it flexible . If there is need for more , there should be justification . ”

Stressing that NCC had a major role in addressing insecurity in the country , Pantami said , “ We should not allow criminals to use the sector that is under our supervision to commit crime . ”

The minister also told the new NCC board that there was a need for improvements in the regulation of the sector .

The new board chairman , Prof . Adeolu Akande , who replaced Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye , said the commission was committed to the campaign against insecurity in the country.

Earlier , at a CyberSecurity Conference organised by the NCC in Abuja , Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission , Prof .

Umar Danbatta , had called for the deployment of technical and legislative measures to strengthen ICT infrastructure against cyberattacks .

Source:- Punchng

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