NCC Rolls Out Phone Verification Platform For Banks, TELCOs

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has launched a new system to help banks and telcos verify phone numbers before granting access to services, aiming to crack down on fraud tied to recycled SIM cards.

The Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS) was introduced at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on February 27. NCC Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida said mobile numbers have become essential for digital verification and financial transactions, but their fraudulent use, through swapped, recycled, or barred lines, has fuelled identity theft and financial crime.

Before allowing access to crucial digital and financial services, banks, telecom companies, and security agencies can use this real-time data-sharing platform to confirm the validity of mobile numbers.

“TIRMS provides a secure, cross-sectoral, regulatory-backed framework to manage risks around mobile number integrity,” Maida said.

The platform allows service providers to flag suspicious numbers and enhances accountability across Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. The NCC also proposed new regulations, including requiring telcos to give customers at least 14 days’ notice before disconnecting lines and mandating operators to report churned numbers to TIRMS within seven days.

However, MTN Nigeria raised concerns, warning that TIRMS duplicates existing systems and risks low adoption. NCC’s Anthonia Adaba noted a prior SIM swap notification system developed with the Central Bank of Nigeria and NIBSS. This saw weak uptake from financial institutions. She argued that without mandated participation, TIRMS may face the same fate.

Adaba called for a multi-stakeholder working group to define the platform’s operations and urged the NCC to work with the CBN to mandate bank integration. She also flagged issues with the proposed 14-day pre-churn notification rule, noting that relying on email alerts is ineffective due to outdated or missing customer contact data.

She further recommended clearer guidelines for consumers to recover unused airtime after line termination.

The NCC stated it would consider the feedback in finalizing the draft regulations.

TIRMS targets fraud linked to recycled, swapped, and barred SIM cards, key tools for identity theft. It enables real-time verification of flagged numbers and bridges telecom and financial sectors to strengthen KYC and digital trust. New rules also mandate operators to notify subscribers 14 days before churning a line and upload those details to TIRMS within 7 days.

For consumers, the system safeguards digital identities tied to BVN and national IDs when lines are reassigned. Financial institutions gain stronger risk signals and faster resolution for compromised mobile identities, while law enforcement benefits from measurable cross-sector identity assurance to support investigations.

As at yesterday, the platform was introduced at a stakeholders’ event in Abuja. Although widely applauded, several significant operators, like MTN Nigeria, have demanded that all sectors be required to participate in order to guarantee the system’s efficacy and avoid duplicating current efforts.