For fear of permanently losing their mobile numbers, thousands of Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) subscribers, Friday, besieged the various network centres in Delta State for the ongoing update of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) registration.

In each of the centres visited by News Express, particularly in Asaba, Agbor and Warri, the MTN centres-one of the leading networks in the country, witnessed upsurge of subscribers who, in their worry, were at the various centres to perfect their SIM registration update.

The mad rush at each of the network centres, News Express reports, is in compliance with the directive by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) that all unregistered SIMs should be deactivated.

Following the directive, the various GSM Networks within the past couple of weeks, had advised their numerous subscribers through Short Message Service (SMS) who, hitherto, have not registered their SIMs to do so or risk deactivation of their mobile numbers.

Investigations by News Express revealed that the mad rush was informed by the eventual deactivation of some mobile lines as some of them, as early as Tuesday morning, received such text message as “Dear subscriber, your SIM Registration Data is incomplete. Your SIM has been deactivated.”

Speaking on the development in Agbor, a senior official of the MTN who prefers anonymity, told our correspondent that the exercise which is in compliance with the NCC directive, was aimed at updating the SIM data of the various subscribers.

Although our source noted that some of the affected subscribers have registered with the network earlier, the update was necessitated by incorrect and incomplete computation of the subscribers’ data in their databank.

“Well, it is true that some of the affected persons have registered before, but we just got a directive that anyone whose data or photo capture contained unwanted, unclear image, should re-register.

Meanwhile, some of the subscribers who volunteered comments to News Express condemned the actions of the network providers saying that they are being irresponsive to the plight of their customers.

According to him, “This exercise is arrant nonsense. We have done this before, and within this week, I have registered twice, yet, yesterday, I received this worrisome text saying that my SIM has been deactivated”.

In Asaba, the duo of Mssrs Udevioutu Stephen and Mary Okwumabua have advised the network providers to decentralise the registration centres as well as ensure that they are conducted in batches in order to address the surging number of subscribers.

•Photo shows SIM cards.

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