We’re Ready to Launch Number Portability, Say Telcos

Following persistent pressure on telecoms operators from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to implement Mobile Number Portability (MNP), the operators have expressed their readiness for the roll out. NCC has been putting pressure on GSM operators to commence Mobile Number Portability on their networks, and has finally fixed April 22 this year for its launch in Lagos.

Some of the operators of Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) who spoke with THISDAY concerning the rollout plan, were optimistic that their networks could accommodate challenges associated with the MNP.
According to a reliable source from Globacom, the network had been upgraded to accommodate number porting from one network to another.

“We have upgraded our network to a great extent and the upgrade is still ongong. We have successfully carried out test-run on our entire network system and we are just waiting for the April 22 launch date, which is just some few days from today,” the source said.

Although THISDAY could not ascertain the state of readiness of Airtel and Etisalat networks because they declined to comments on the issue, MTN, like Globacom, told THISDAY it was ready for the launch of MNP on its network.

Corporate Services Executive at MTN, Mr. Akinwale Goodluck, who gave the assurance, said the company had put systems in place to make MNP a reality for mobile phone users in Nigeria eager to join the country’s most expansive network.
“We have made all the necessary investment in infrastructure and manpower to make MNP a reality and we are confident that at the commencement date, we will be absolutely ready,” Goodluck said.
He disclosed that a series of tests had been successfully carried out on the company’s systems and infrastructure without any hitch.

“We are excited that customers who wish to join the network with the most coverage of Nigeria will now be able to do so without worrying about losing their mobile numbers. As you know, we have made far more investment in our network than any other operator in Nigeria has done, with the result that we are today the clear leader with effective network coverage of more than 85 percent of Nigeria’s land mass and population, Goodluck said.

“We have nearly 100 percent coverage of most major highways in Nigeria and we are gradually moving towards the final laps of a massive nationwide network modernisation and swap-out exercise that is bound to give the network unequalled capacity and much improved quality of service in the near future.”

We have no doubt in our minds that mobile phone users on other networks in Nigeria will be eager to port into MTN to avail themselves of the benefits they can only find on the MTN network,” he said.
Even though Airtel and Etisalat were silent over MNP launch, the NCC has insisted that it must commence across all GSM networks on April 22 this year.

NCC had on Thursday April 11 fixed April 22 as the new launch date for the implementation of MNP.
Director Corporate Affairs at NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, who gave the new date, said the commission chose that date, having been convinced by the network operators that their networks were ready for the roll out in Nigeria.



“We are going to celebrate the commencement of Mobile Number Portability at a colourful launch that will hold in Lagos on April 22,” Ojobo said.

NCC had earlier warned that it was not going to shift grounds on the planned roll out of MNP, and had persistently encouraged telecoms operators to commence the roll out, even though they had severally tuned down the request from NCC on the planned roll out.

NCC had in 2006 announced for the first time that it was going to implement MNP, but it was not implemented, as telecoms operators resisted it on the ground that the network infrastructure, as at then, was not robust enough to accommodate the challenges associated with mobile number porting.

In 2009, NCC re-introduced MNP and again the operators turned it down, giving the same reasons.
In 2012, NCC gave December 2012 as deadline for operators to commence the exercise, but they reluctantly agreed yet they could not meet the deadline.

In January 2013, NCC fixed March 25, 2013, as the new date for the commencement of MNP, but again, telecoms operators were unable to meet up with the March date, a situation that compelled NCC to further shift date to April 1, 2013.
Having lost grip in the past to implement MNP across GSM networks, NCC recently announced April 22 as the new date for the launch of MNP.

Speaking on the importance of MNP, Ojobo said it would increase healthy competition among operators, which would lead to improved service quality across networks.
He added that it would encourage value added services on the networks, as operators would do everything possible to retain subscribers on their networks.

In technical parlance, MNP is a process that allows subscribers to migrate from one network to another, in search of better quality of service, while still retaining the original phone number, irrespective of the network the subscriber chooses to migrate to. NCC in its released guidelines for MNP, made porting free of charge for subscribers, but insisted that subscribers could port their numbers once in 90 days.



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