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The guideline, which according to the commission is currently at the draft stage, seeks to address the activities of network operators who’s agents and dealers are notorious for fraudulently replacing SIMs.
In the draft of the Guideline of SIM Replacement in Nigeria, the NCC stated that “any SIM replacement done in violation of the guidelines shall be sanctioned in accordance with the Enforcement Regulations”.
According to the proposed guideline, GSM companies will henceforth be held responsible for any fraudulent SIM replacement done by their agents or dealers in violation of the forthcoming regulations.
What the commission wants to achieve with the guideline is to put forward a regulatory framework and state the steps that operators should take before they can carry out SIM replacements for their subscribers.
In addition, the NCC will be stipulating the acceptable minimum standard of care which operators must adhere to in order to prevent cases of fraudulently replaced SIMs.
The guideline stated that: “A SIM can be replaced if the original SIM is faulty, demanded, stolen, lost, obsolete, but eligible for replacement or an upgrade, and any other reasonable legitimate reasons or conditions necessitating a SIM replacement.”