Nigerian mobile operators, MTN, Globacom, Zain and Etisalat, have all criticised the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) plan to begin the registration of all SIM cards in the country in March.

Business Day reports the operators all agree that the proposed time frame for SIM card registration is not practical.

According to the NCC directive, all new and current subscribers to telecommunications networks in Nigeria must be registered from 1 March 2010. In order to register, subscribers will require certain identification documents.

The newspaper reports the reasons behind the measure is to have a proper record of phone users in the country and to track users in the case of criminal conduct.

Operators complain that the exercise will lead to a decline in subscriber growth due to the fact that not all customers have the required identification documents.