Nigeria Number Portability Stakeholders Raise Hope Over Planned Implementation

Post on: 2011-11-02 By: admin

The planned implementation of number portability by the telecom regulatory body, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has elicited joy among telecom subscribers.
It has raised hope that the initiative would further drive down cost of telecoms services, in addition to maintaining high quality service across networks.
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) stakeholders have applauded the recent move by the NCC in appointing a consortium for the implementation of number portability across networks. They were of the view that if implemented, it would further stabilise the telecom sector and discourage subscribers from carrying multiple phones.
NCC had earlier in the month, announced the appointment of a consortium of three companies to implement the proposed number portability services in Nigeria, which will allow phone users to move from one network to another without losing their numbers.
Number portability is a system of porting SIM cards from one network to another without losing the original number on the SIM cards.
It allows subscribers to move to alternative networks when they are no longer enjoying the quality of services being offered by their current network operators, or when they are no longer happy with the tariff plan of their existing network.
Porting to another network attracts a fee that is determined by the new network operator, and the subscriber has the liberty to remain on a particular network for as long as the subscriber chooses to stay.
President, National Association of Telecom Subscribers (NATCOMMS), Mr. Deolu Ogunbanjo, who commended NCC for the initiative, said number portability, if implemented, would create economic value for subscribers and operators.
He explained that it would redirect the thinking of Nigerians from carrying multiple phones, to carrying a single phone that could be active in all networks, through number porting.
Operators, he explained, would know the actual number of subscribers on its network, since it will be a situation of one-man-one-phone. With the actual number of subscribers known to operators, it will help them plan properly for network expansion as the need arises, he said.
Again, Ogunbanjo maintained that number portability would allow for smooth communication in business, since a businessman and businesswoman would be known with a particular number for easy communication.
In the area of competition among operators, Ogunbanjo said it would boost competition among operators who will not want to lose customers that will not be patient to remain on a network that has persistent drop calls and other network issues.
He added that number portability would also drive down tariff, since there will be competition among operators in an attempt to retain customers.
Supporting the move to implement number portability in the country, Ogunbanjo said it was a welcomed development that should be commended by al Nigerians.
Former NCC Executive Vice Chairman Ernest Ndukwe, said he believed that number portability would help foster greater and fair competition and compel operators to provide better quality of service.
President, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo was of the view that if implemented, would bring about flexibility and freedom to subscribers that would be porting from a host network to a guest network in search of better quality of service.
He however raised fears that the issue of better quality of service offerings across network may not necessarily be guaranteed since the problem of one network may likely affect the other network, by the time the networks come under one network in the name of one number portability.
Head, Media and Public Relations for NCC, Mr. Reuben Muoka, had announced that a consortium of Interconnect/Saab Grintek/Telecordia has been approved by the Commission as the preferred vendor for the service after the technical, financial and demo presentations by the bidding vendors. Consequently, the company will be responsible for the set up and implementation of Number Portability Clearing House in Nigeria and provide mobile number portability solution administration in Nigeria within six months of receiving the license with a testing period of two months.
The members of the consortium are to execute a tripartite agreement that will indicate their specific responsibilities in the process with the regulator approving such agreement to tally with the conditions of the provision of the service in Nigeria .
The NCC also mandates the consortium to ensure that local content participation and adequate skills transfer are entrenched in the process during the implementation of the five-year license.
Muoka explained that the consortium was also expected to configure the technical solution for Number Portability in Nigeria in line with the consultation documents as earlier published by the Commission, and the solution is to be customised to meet the specific process needs, as well as other requirements of the Nigerian network operators.
NCC had earlier indicated that the number portability programme would be the next logical step following the SIM Card registration exercise as it is necessary to know the identity of subscribers who are porting their numbers at different times from one network to another. The Commission concluded the phase of SIM card registration on September 28, and it is currently collating verifying data of registered SIM cards, and has called for another phase of SIM registration that will last till when the on-going collation and verification exercises are completed.
NCC had in 2007, asked telecoms operators to implement number portability across networks but the operators put up some resistance arguing that they needed robust network to successfully implement number portability.
They asked NCC for more time, insisting that countries who successfully implemented number portability were given enough time to do so.
MTN, Airtel and Globacom had in 2008, called for a three-year time frame before the implementation to allow for the completion of other projects such as equipment registry against phone theft and improvement of quality of service programmes, among others.
The story of one number portability in Nigeria dates back to 2004, when quality of service started deteriorating. Then telecom subscribers were not at ease with the quality of service from their network operators, a situation that forced many to patronise several network operators in a bid to search for better quality of service.
Although the cost of SIM card as at then was very expensive and sells for between N8,000 and N10, 000, which was cheaper than the initial cost of N25, 000 when GSM was first introduced in 2001, Nigerians were not bothered about the high cost, as they purchased additional SIM cards from other network operators as well as mobile phones to go with the SIM cards. The situation forced Nigerians to start carrying more than one phone in search of better quality of service, and people at that point, started agitating for one number portability as practiced in other counties of the world.
Telecom groups such as NATCOMMS, ATCON, and other interest groups commenced campaign for the introduction of number portability across networks, insisting that it would help subscribers stay glued to one SIM and one network, but could port their numbers to any network of choice without losing the initial GSM numbers.
They took their agitation to the NCC, who called the attention of telecoms operating companies to take a look at the issue and advice accordingly. Telecom operators on their own, decided to shelve the planned implementation of number portability to a much more later year arguing that they were involved in infrastructure rollout, without support from government and that they needed enough time to build their network capacity that would adequately accommodate number porting.
Now that NCC has come up with new initiative to commence number portability across networks, it is the expectations of telecom subscribers that all telecom operators will be ready and willing to rollout the drums for one number portability.
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