Nigeria lifts sanctions on MTN services
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Nigeria lifts sanctions on MTN services

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has lifted a sanction placed on MTN Nigeria since last July.

The lifting of the suspension comes after several letters from MTN to the NCC requesting for lifting of the ban. The move will enable the operator to seek approvals for promotions as well as other plans to grow in Nigeria, said MTN. 

“We have reviewed MTN’s plea and also took into consideration the fact that MTN has abated all the infractions that gave rise to the suspension of regulatory services by the commission,” according to a letter from the NCC.

The lifting of the ban is not related to a $5.2 fine imposed on the operator on October 2015 – later lowered to $3.9 billion – for its failure to deactivate 5.2 million improperly registered SIM cards, according to its director of public affairs Tony Ojobohe.

“The sanctions were for 24 identified infractions which are not in any way connected with the SIM card non-deactivation fine. These were a number of violations discovered by the Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Team of the commission in June 2015,” said Ojobohe.

“It should be noted that this does not in any way extend to the fine for non-deactivation of SIM card case,” he added. 

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