The Nigerian Communications Commission has proposed new rules requiring telecom operators to give subscribers at least 14 days’ notice before deactivating their SIM cards due to inactivity or post-paid churn.
The proposal is contained in a February 2026 consultation paper titled Stakeholders Consultation Process for the Telecoms Identity Risks Management Platform, published on the Commission’s website.
Under the suggested amendments to the Quality-of-Service (QoS) Business Rules, operators would be required to notify affected customers in advance of any planned disconnection. The Commission stated: “prior to churning of a post-paid line, the Operator shall send a notification to the affected subscriber through an alternative line or an email on the pending churning of his line.”
It further specified, “This notification shall be sent at least 14 days before the final date for the churn of the number.”
The same requirement would apply to prepaid subscribers. According to the proposal, “prior to churning of a pre-paid line, the Operator shall send a notification to the affected subscriber through an alternative line or an email on the pending churning of his line,” adding that the notice “shall be sent at least 14 days before the final date for the churn of the number.”
Currently, Section 2.3.1 of the QoS Business Rules permits operators to deactivate a line if it has not been used for a Revenue Generating Event within six months. If inactivity continues for another six months, the subscriber may permanently lose the number, except where the inactivity is due to network-related issues.
Beyond the notification requirement, the Commission is also seeking to strengthen oversight of churned numbers. The draft rules mandate that operators submit details of all churned numbers to the Telecoms Identity Risks Management System (TIRMS) within seven days after completing the process. The document states: “An Operator shall submit details of all churn numbers to the Telecoms Identity Risks Management System (TIRMS) within seven days of completion of the churn process.”
The proposed reforms are tied to the rollout of TIRMS, a regulatory-backed platform designed to reduce fraud linked to recycled, swapped, or barred mobile numbers. In the consultation paper, the NCC explained that TIRMS “is a secure, regulatory-backed Platform that helps prevent fraud stemming from churned, swapped, barred Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number in Nigeria.”
It added that the system “will provide a uniform approach for all sectors in relation to the integrity and utilisation of registered MSISDNs on the Nigerian Communications network.”
The consultation process, conducted in line with Section 58 of the Nigerian Communications Act, will remain open for 21 days from publication. Stakeholders have until March 20, 2026, to submit their comments.
The document, dated February 26, 2026, was signed by the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Dr Aminu Maida.
