Nigeria’s major telecommunications companies, including MTN, Airtel, Glo, and 9mobile, will implement a harmonised set of shortcodes for all telecommunications services from May 17, 2023.
The move, directed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), means all mobile network operators will now use the same code for services.
This will make it easier for Nigerians to memorise single codes for various services across all mobile networks.
Recall that before the harmonisation, each telecom operator had its unique code for checking balances, recharging, borrowing credit, etc.
Until now, each telecom operator has had its own unique code for checking balances, recharging, borrowing credit, etc. These require a telecom subscriber with more than one line to memorize the different codes for the respective operators.
However, the harmonization of shortcodes entails making the common shortcodes utilized by customers uniform across all networks. For instance, the code for recharging a line is now the same across all mobile networks.
In March this year, the Nigerian Communications Commission directed the telecommunications operators in Nigeria to commence the implementation of the harmonized shortcodes for all telecommunications services. This means all mobile network operators will now use the same code for the same service.
Shortcodes entails making the common shortcodes utilized by customers uniform across all networks. For instance, the code for recharging a line is now the same across all mobile networks.
The initiative, which is in line with the NCC’s regulatory modernization program, is essential to making life much easier for telecom consumers, as it is now easier for Nigerians to memorize single codes for various services across all mobile networks they may be using, thereby improving consumer quality of experience (QoE).
Here are the new codes as approved by the NCC:
300 is the code for Call Centre/Help Desk on all mobile networks
301 for voice Mail Deposit
302 for Voice Mail Retrieval
303 for Borrow Services
305 for STOP Service;
310 for Check Balance
3111 is for credit recharge.
312 is for Data Plan
321 is for Share services.
323 is for Data Plan Balance
996 is now for verification of subscriber identity module (SIM) registration or NIN-SIM linkage.
2442 is retained for Do-Not-Disturb (DND) unsolicited messaging complaint management.
3232 is also retained for porting services, otherwise called mobile number portability.
