The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced plans to expand its phone number verification system beyond the telecommunications industry to strengthen digital identity protection and reduce fraud across Nigeria’s economy.
The proposed expansion will allow more organisations to identify recycled mobile numbers and numbers associated with suspected fraudulent activities, particularly where phone numbers are used to access sensitive accounts.
NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Dr Aminu Maida, disclosed the initiative at the 95th Telecom Consumer Parliament held in Lagos on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
NCC Targets Fraud Linked to Recycled Phone Numbers
Maida explained that mobile numbers have become essential tools for identifying customers and accessing services beyond traditional calls and text messages.
Today, Nigerians use phone numbers to operate bank accounts, receive transaction alerts, manage pension services, shop online and authenticate digital transactions.
However, this growing dependence also creates security risks when inactive phone numbers are reassigned to new subscribers or become associated with fraudulent activities.
The NCC chief said the commission was working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to expand the Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS) to other sectors that depend on phone numbers for customer identification.
The initiative is intended to help participating organisations detect potentially compromised numbers before they are used to access accounts or authorise transactions.
How the Proposed Phone Verification System Could Work
The Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System is designed to help relevant organisations identify risks associated with mobile numbers.
One concern involves number recycling, a process in which a telecommunications operator reassigns an inactive phone number to another subscriber.
If the previous owner failed to remove that number from banking applications, online accounts or other digital services, the new subscriber could receive communications intended for the former user.
This situation can create opportunities for account takeover, identity misuse and other forms of fraud.
By making relevant risk information available to participating organisations, the proposed expansion could help them introduce additional verification measures when a number has been recycled or flagged.
However, the NCC has not announced a specific nationwide rollout date or provided a complete list of sectors that will participate.
NCC Reports Over 6,500 Network Improvements in 2026
Beyond digital identity protection, Maida disclosed that telecommunications operators had undertaken more than 6,500 network interventions during 2026.
These included equipment upgrades, infrastructure improvements and capacity expansion projects aimed at strengthening connectivity.
He said the commission expected operators to ensure that these investments produced measurable improvements in call quality and internet reliability.
According to him, the regulator would continue monitoring network performance and requiring service providers to address identified shortcomings.
Maida also called on communities to help protect telecommunications infrastructure by reporting vandalism, cable damage and equipment theft.
He warned that damage to fibre-optic cables and other network facilities could disrupt communications across multiple communities.
75 Million Subscribers Receive Airtime Compensation
The NCC executive vice chairman revealed that approximately 75 million subscribers had received airtime compensation for poor network services in 2026.
The compensation was provided under the commission’s Consumer Compensation Framework, which seeks to hold operators accountable for service quality failures.
Maida acknowledged that compensation could provide some relief to affected customers but stressed that it could not fully address the consequences of disrupted communication.
He noted that unreliable services could lead to missed business opportunities, interrupted conversations and other losses that airtime credits could not adequately replace.
The commission’s primary objective, he explained, remained improving service quality and preventing repeated network failures.
Nearly Three Million Nigerians Refunded for Failed Transactions
Maida also disclosed that close to three million subscribers had received refunds following unsuccessful airtime and data purchases.
The refunds were processed through a framework developed in collaboration with the CBN, telecommunications operators and financial service providers.
The arrangement is intended to make it easier to trace unsuccessful transactions and determine responsibility for resolving them.
Previously, consumers experiencing failed airtime or data purchases could encounter difficulties when banks and network operators referred complaints back and forth.
The framework seeks to reduce such delays and ensure that affected customers receive appropriate refunds.
NCC Moves to Improve Data Usage Transparency
The commission is also preparing new guidelines to provide subscribers with clearer information about their mobile data consumption.
According to Maida, the forthcoming usage notification requirements are expected to improve access to daily data usage details, remaining balances and more comprehensive consumption records.
The initiative is intended to help consumers understand how their data allowances are used and identify unexpected changes in consumption.
Maida added that tariff simplification measures would require service providers to communicate bundle prices, data allowances and validity periods more clearly.
Telecommunications operators would also be expected to investigate disputed data usage and explain their findings to affected customers.
Consumers Advised to Verify Mobile Devices Before Purchase
The NCC further encouraged Nigerians to confirm that mobile devices meet applicable regulatory requirements before purchasing them.
Maida advised consumers to use the commission’s Device Checker service, including the *315# channel mentioned during the parliament, to verify device compliance with NCC type-approval requirements.
The advice is aimed at helping consumers avoid devices that do not meet applicable technical standards.
Consumers should confirm that verification channels are currently operational through official NCC information before relying on them.
How to Report Unresolved Telecom Complaints
Maida reminded subscribers that complaints about poor network services, billing disputes or failed transactions should first be reported to their telecommunications providers.
He advised consumers to obtain complaint reference numbers so that their cases could be tracked.
Where an operator fails to resolve a complaint satisfactorily, subscribers may escalate the matter to the NCC through its toll-free consumer complaint line, 622.
The regulator said effective complaint handling remained a major part of its consumer protection responsibilities.
NCC Demands Greater Accountability From Telecom Operators
Speaking earlier, NCC Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, called for practical commitments to improving telecommunications services.
She said discussions at the 95th Telecom Consumer Parliament should result in clearer responsibilities for network operators, particularly concerning service reliability, transparent billing and complaint resolution.
Makama recalled that participants at the previous parliament had raised concerns about poor connectivity, unexplained charges, unsuccessful transactions and delays in addressing complaints.
She said the commission would review progress made on those issues and continue engaging consumer organisations to identify areas requiring further regulatory attention.
The NCC’s proposed expansion of phone number verification forms part of broader efforts to protect digital identities, strengthen consumer confidence and improve accountability within Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.
