MTN, Airtel, Glo, and 9mobile have been directed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to implement a new unified set of shortcodes for all their services.
This new harmonised approach means that starting from May 17, 2023, Nigeria’s major telecommunications companies will no longer use separate shortcodes for performing operations like data balance, airtime recharge, etc. Instead, all telcos will be using the same code for these services.
Consumers are advised to familiarise themselves with the new codes for different services, as the old codes used by MTN, Airtel, Glo, and 9mobile subscribers will no longer function from May 17, 2023.
The NCC’s regulatory modernisation program includes the standardisation of shortcodes, which is expected to improve the overall quality of experience for telecom consumers.
New unified codes for MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9Mobile
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.
