NIGERIAN authorities have ordered all cellphone companies to block all phones that are not linked to ID numbers from making outgoing voice calls.

On Wednesday morning, MTN confirmed that it has complied with the directive – which affects nearly a third of its subscribers in Nigeria, or 20 million people.

“In line with operating licence requirements, MTN Nigeria has complied with the directive and implemented the restrictions on only outgoing voice calls of affected subscribers. All other services remain available to all subscribers, including those that are yet to submit their National Identity Numbers (NINs),” MTN said in a statement.

Nigeria is the continent’s most populous nation and MTN’s largest market.

The mobile operator has around 68.5 million subscribers in the country, and it said that around 47 million users  –  approximately 67 percent of its subscriber base – submitted their NINs by 31 March. These complying subscribers account for 76 percent of its N1,7 trillion (around R59 billion) service revenue for the 2021 financial year. Fin24.com