UNDERSTANDING MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY

Mobile Number
Portability or MNP simply put, is a process expected to allow a network
subscriber the access to switch from one network to another if he/she is
dissatisfied with the service his current network is offering without having to
change his phone number- that is his identity.

With
the same number therefore, a different network service can also be accessed if
a subscriber is moving to a particular area where their original telecoms
service provider does not have presence or sufficient service.

MNP is said to be a tool to
promote competition among subscribers; it allows dissatisfied subscribers port
their mobile numbers from one network to another, while retaining their
original identity (mobile numbers). It is also viewed as the required antidote
to poor service quality that had been a burdened on the Nigerian subscribers
over the last one year.

Stakeholders
believe that the service will deepen the competition in the market which will
in turn drive network stability, as well as aid the growth of the sector. This
is because operators will compete for subscriber’s loyalty, by coming up with
all kinds of incentives that will lure subscribers to them, and make them
(subscribers) stay or join the network.

It can be said
that Mobile Number portability has been a huge success around the world,
because it helps to level the playing field by giving all operators more
opportunities to grow their subscriber bases and revenues.

As part of the
advantages of MNP - James Wild, a United Kingdom base consultant with KPMG said
that such innovation will give the 94 million subscribers in Nigeria the much
needed “flexibility and freedom.” According to Wild, as mobile services become
more critical to our lives, “mobile number portability will encourage service
providers to work harder for the customers, add more value and bring innovation
and new services as well.”

He said the
technology will enable customers move out of “shackles where they will no
longer be captives” to the network operators. The ultimate goal of MNP as he
puts it is to enable subscribers move their unique number identity, which he
described as a critical identity, to their choice network where they feel
better served, without facing the risk of losing their initial mobile number.

Although contrary
to some stakeholder’s opinion that the planned introduction of mobile number portability
will not make any impact on quality of service (QoS), the Nigerian
Communications Commission (NCC), has again expressed high hopes that it will
create the right level of competition, which is needed to deepen network
operator’s commitment to its subscribers. With the foregoing, what would you as the subscriber say, will MNP be the ultimate panacea to the instability in the telecom sector?