NCC debunks allocating 383 million new numbers to operators

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has debunked alleged allocating of 383 million new cellphone numbers to operators in the first quarter of 2021, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

In a statement, the commission said a national daily wrongly interpreted an update report on National Numbering Plan, posted by the Commission on its official website.

The Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, made this known, yesterday, in Abuja.

Adinde said the report published by the media outfit was with the headline: “NCC allocates 383 million new telephone numbers to operators”.

He said the headline purported the Commission allocated 383 million new telephone lines to telecoms service providers in the first quarter of 2021 alone.

The director said the update report posted on the Commission’s website was the total telephone numbers allocated to all telecommunications services providers, since the inception of digital mobile services in the country in 2001.

“The update report is, therefore, by no means, either an indication of new allocations or new activation of telephone numbers in Q1 2021, as wrongly interpreted by the media outfit,” he said.

He explained that the report on the commission’s website entitled: ‘National Numbering Plan (2021 Q1)’ was a routine periodic report.

The report, according to him, was issued as part of the commission’s regulatory mandate to publish and update all telephone numbers allocated to service providers for the benefit of stakeholders.

He, therefore, advised the public and other stakeholders to disregard the said report in the national daily and be guided accordingly.

“We encourage them to always feel free to contact the commission for necessary clarification on NCC’s regulatory activities and reports published on it’s website before going to press,” Adinde said.