{"id":2544,"date":"2013-04-22T19:41:07","date_gmt":"2013-04-22T19:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigeria-news\/mobile-phone-numbers-portability-and-its-challenges\/"},"modified":"2013-04-22T19:41:07","modified_gmt":"2013-04-22T19:41:07","slug":"mobile-phone-numbers-portability-and-its-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/mobile-phone-numbers-portability-and-its-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Mobile Phone Numbers Portability And Its Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Today, the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC, will launch the much awaited Mobile Number Portability, MNP, with Lagos as its flag-off point. The four GSM operators \u2014 MTN, Airtel, Globacom and Etisalat \u2014 are in tip-toe expectancy. No less ecstatic are Nigeria\u2019s over 113 million subscribers.<\/p>\n

With their Subscriber Identity Module, SIM, cards, subscribers can dump any lousy Global System for Mobile, GSM, Communications service provider and navigate to another network. They can do this effortlessly without calling at the offices of the companies.<\/p>\n

The idea first came up over 24 months ago but more efforts went into actualising it last year. It almost ended in a yoyo as the original take-off date was shifted from last year March to June, December and today, in the first quarter of 2013. While Nigeria was dilly dallying over it, Kenya and Ghana beat it to the new experience.<\/p>\n

In April 2011, the Communications Commission of Kenya, CCK, launched that country\u2019s Mobile Number Portability, making it the 63rd nation to do so. In Kenya, the development followed a series of extensive public consultations between 2004 and 2008. In Ghana, the National Communications Authority, NCA, launched its portability on 7 July 2011, coming second after Kenya in Africa. Ghana has five major GSM service providers: MTN , Airtel, Zain, Tigo and Vodafone.<\/p>\n

It goes without saying that MNP has many advantages. It allows mobile phone users to retain their existing phone numbers when changing service providers. It also promotes competition among service providers as they will struggle to provide quality service. For example in Kenya those wishing to switch operators while retaining their numbers are to pay a one-off fee of Kenyan shillings or KES199.80 (USD2.36). Airtel Kenya, the country\u2019s second largest service provider announced that it would do so gratis.<\/p>\n

However, we submit that as Nigeria launches MNP today, beginning with Lagos, it must make sure certain things are put in place before extending it to other parts of the country. It must make sure that there is enough capacity or infrastructure to take care of the exercise.<\/p>\n

The interconnectivity aspect of MNP is handled by Interconnect Clearing House, which works for such concerns as Cellulant Technologies, Etisalat, IXPN, Link Serve, Airtel, among others. It was appointed in March 2012 by NCC.<\/p>\n

Interconnect, besides the Mobile Number Portability, handles telecoms billing, reconciliation, settlement, co-location, infrastructure sharing of telecoms firms, and managed services. NCC must also make sure that the GSM companies have enough technical wherewithals to operate under the new system before it is extended to other parts of Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Also, NCC must not relent to wield the big stick when it is necessary. This is because as competition among the subscribers get stiffer, they will throw up a lot of promos, some of which would be like selling ice cubes to Eskimos!<\/p>\n

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Source: PM News<\/p>\n

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