The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has introduced the Telecoms Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS) platform to regulate the re-assignment of dormant mobile phone numbers and curb fraudulent activity from reassigned numbers.
The commission has also proposed amendments to the Quality of Service (QoS) Business Rules and Communication Subscriber Regulations governing the re-assignment of phone numbers.
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The commission disclosed this on Thursday during a stakeholders engagement meeting with operators in the telecoms industry.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the commission, Aminu Maida, explained that the reforms became necessary as mobile numbers have evolved from simple call ID to a critical identifier in financial transactions, digital authentication and access to essential services across all sectors of the economy.
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Mr Maida was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management, Rimini Makama.
He noted that the evolution has created a new challenge and vulnerabilities through the use of recycled, swapped or barred SIMs for fraudulent financial transactions and identity theft.
He added that the vulnerabilities have led to eroding public trust in the digital platforms and “undermining the identity systems we have worked very hard to build.”
“In direct response to this challenge, the commission has initiated the telecoms Identity risk management system platform,” he said.
“This is a statutory opportunity for industry experts, security agencies, financial sector regulators, government agencies, telecom operators, consumer groups and concerned citizens to be united in a shared commitment to building a safer and more trustworthy digital communications environment for our nation.”
Proposed amendments
According to the NCC’s Senior Manager, Telecoms Law and Regulations, Tewi Tanko, the proposed amendments mandate operators to send a notification to affected subscribers through alternative phone numbers or email at least 14 days before they can churn a mobile line.
He said the commission is also proposing that the telecoms operator must submit details of all churned numbers to the TIRMS within seven days of completion of the process.
He added that the commission is also proposing the inclusion of a guideline that will set out the provisions for the blocking of fraudulently registered phone numbers.
Telecommunications companies routinely churn phone numbers and re-assign them to new customers after it is dormant for a period of time. This situation has led to affected Nigerians losing access to their phone numbers, usually connected to their Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) and national ID cards.
The situation, which results in new users receiving phone calls and text messages meant for the previous owner, is also being exploited by fraudsters.
About TIRMS
Mr Maida said TIRMS is a secure, regulatory-backed, cross-sectoral platform designed to perform a uniform approach for managing all risk related to the integrity and utilisation of registered MISSDNs on the Nigerian communications network.
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The NCC’s Senior Manager Cyber Security and Internet Governance, Emaiban Echono, explained that the platform is a data-sharing platform that allows regulators and licensed entities to verify the status of all mobile numbers registered on the Nigerian communications network in real time.
Ms Echono said the platform aims to strengthen identity integrity, enhance fraud prevention and unified digital identity assurance practices as part of the commission’s regulatory effort to address telecom agency risk.
She said the objective is to enhance the know your customer (KYC) process across sectors, improve access to mobile numbers, aid user accountability and reduce fraud by enabling service providers to verify numbers flagged for suspicious criminal and fraudulent activities before granting access to services.
“For the financial industry, you have stronger risk signals and faster case resolution. For regulators, it’s transparent, measurable, cross-sector identity assurance. And finally, for law enforcement, it supports investigation processes,” she said.
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