By Onu Okorie

Nigerian Communications Commission NCC has expressed concern over the resurgence of call masking activities, in Nigeria.
This was contained in a communiqué issued by the Office of the Commission Secretary, at the end of the meeting, which was presided over by the Board.
Describing the practice as economic sabotage that undermines legitimate telecom operations, distorts industry revenues, the NCC explained that it poses a threat to national security.
While reaffirming its zero-tolerance stance on call masking the Commission pledged to work with security and law enforcement agencies as well as industry stakeholders to identify, prevent and eliminate the practice.
The Board received updates on strategic priorities, operational performance and market developments from the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer’s report, while also deliberating on key regulatory and industry issues affecting Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
The Board noted significant progress in network infrastructure expansion by Mobile Network Operators MNOs, with 8,526 out of 12,179 coverage and capacity sites committed to following resolutions at its 109th meeting now deployed nationwide.
The figure represents approximately 70 per cent of the operators’ commitment and marks a substantial increase from the 5,000 sites reported at the previous meeting.
However, the Board expressed concern over the sharp increase in network disruptions recorded in June, attributing a significant portion of the outages to fibre cuts.
It stressed that the expansion of telecom infrastructure must be accompanied by stronger protection of critical national communications infrastructure to enhance network resilience and ensure reliable services for consumers.
As part of efforts to strengthen security and integrity in the telecommunications ecosystem, the Board noted that the Device Management System (DMS) is now live.
The system is designed to improve compliance with type-approval requirements, verify the authenticity of telecommunications devices, discourage the circulation of non-compliant devices and facilitate the blocking of reported stolen phones across Nigerian networks.
The Board also announced that the Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS), alongside its associated business rules, is scheduled to go live in October 2026.
According to the Commission, TIRMS will strengthen the governance of telecommunications identities, including mobile numbers, while reducing risks associated with the misuse, reassignment and recycling of identities linked to financial and other digital services.
The Board reaffirmed that the DMS and TIRMS would be implemented in accordance with applicable legal, privacy and data protection requirements to protect consumers and support lawful digital services.