NCC Flags Call Masking As New Threat To Telecom Revenue, Security

By Jennete Ugo Anya

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has raised the alarm over a resurgence of call masking, warning that the practice is becoming a material threat to telecommunications revenues, national security and the integrity of Nigeria’s digital communications infrastructure.

The warning followed the 110th meeting of the NCC Board, where the regulator classified call masking as an unacceptable practice with potentially damaging economic and security consequences.

The warning was contained in a communiqué issued after the 110th meeting of the NCC Board and signed by Nnenna Ukoha, Director of Public Affairs at the Commission.

DEVELOPMENT:

Call masking involves disguising or manipulating the true originating number or identity of a telephone call, making it appear as though the call originated from another number or location.

The NCC said the practice undermines legitimate telecommunications operations and distorts industry revenues. It warned that it would intensify efforts to identify and eliminate those behind the activity, working with security and law-enforcement agencies and industry stakeholders.

The Commission said: “Call masking remains an unacceptable practice and a serious regulatory concern.”

It added: “Call masking undermines legitimate telecommunications operations, distorts industry revenues and constitutes an act of economic sabotage capable of adversely impacting the national economy.”

DATA:

The regulatory response is being reinforced by two technology platforms. The NCC said its Device Management System, DMS, is now live, enabling reported stolen devices to be blocked across Nigerian networks and strengthening type-approval compliance.

The Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System, TIRMS, is scheduled to go live in October 2026. The system is designed to strengthen governance of telecommunications identities, including mobile numbers, and reduce risks associated with their misuse, reassignment or recycling.

SIGNIFICANCE:

The issue extends beyond unwanted or suspicious calls. Manipulation of caller identity can weaken the reliability of Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure, compromise consumer trust and create channels for fraud and other security breaches.

For operators, it also raises the prospect of revenue leakage and increased regulatory intervention. For financial institutions and digital businesses increasingly dependent on mobile numbers for authentication and customer identification, compromised telecom identities represent a wider operational and security risk.

NEXT MOVE:

The immediate focus should be on enforcement. The effectiveness of the NCC’s warning will depend on its ability to trace masking activities, sanction perpetrators and demonstrate measurable reductions across networks.

The October 2026 deployment of TIRMS will also be a critical test of the regulator’s broader identity-management strategy.

OUR LENS:

The NCC’s response signals a shift from regulating telecommunications primarily as a connectivity business towards treating telecom infrastructure as critical national digital infrastructure.

As mobile numbers become increasingly connected to banking, social platforms and other digital services, protecting the integrity of network identities is becoming inseparable from protecting the wider digital economy.

Jennete Ugo Anya is a journalist and researcher with interests across Nigeria’s economy, public policy, business, development and strategic communications.