Following an online media report alleging that mobile telephony subscriptions in Nigeria grew by 3,000,000 new subscribers in the first quarter of 2021, the Nigerian Communications Commission has disclaimed this in a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs Department, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, that it is inaccurate.
According to the NCC, there was a suspension on the registration of new subscribers which took effect from December 9, 2020, and was only lifted in May 2021.
To further clarify the air, the NCC also mentioned that Ericsson Mobility Report cited in the online publication is essentially a forecast of trends based on Ericsson’s analysis and does not refer to the NCC or any official channel as its source of data or projections and as such, it is incorrect to say that Nigeria recorded 3million new lines in the 1st Quarter of 2021 as stated in the media report.
The NCC through their statement further confirmed that the Commission and the National Bureau of Statistics are the only authoritative sources of authentic data on the Nigerian telecommunications sector.
And also, the Commission is well aware of the critical need to make accurate and up-to-date data available to all Stakeholders.
Consequently, as a matter of corporate policy and consistency with international best practice, relevant data and statistics on the industry are transparently reported and regularly updated on the Commission’s official website for interested persons who wish to get authentic data on the sector and to refer all doubts to its Public Affairs Department to avoid unnecessary controversy or misleading reports.
