Ntel, Others to Benefit from Mobile Number Portability

Following the simplification of the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) by the Nigeria’s telecoms regulatory body- the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), results show that the plan will even aid new entrants into the market like Ntel, to attract subscribers.

MNP was launched by NCC on April 22, 2013, as a service that enables a subscriber to retain their mobile phone number when changing from one mobile service provider to another, and has been recording increase on the number of subscribers migrating from one network operator to another.

While launching the Service, NCC had hinted on the benefit which gives a subscriber opportunity to switch between services providers without having to go through the trouble of informing their friends, family and colleagues of a new contact number as the number stays the same.

Statistics by the Interconnect Clearinghouse ‎Nigeria Limited (ICN), last week shows that network subscribers are actually leveraging MNP to their advantage with an average of 601 daily Porting in the period, January and March 2016.

Speaking to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, Mr. Oladele Ayanbadejo, managing director of ICN, acknowledged that 601 is the highest average number ‎daily ports they have recorded.

ICN commended the industry regulator for the introduction of number portability into the Nigerian telecommunications industry, adding that the benefits of the incentive are far reaching.

Other data ICN shared ‎show that in 2014 and 2015, during the same period, the average daily ports were 315 and 479 respectively, while the average daily ports in the year 2013 was 228.

Ayanbadejo‎ told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek that ICN expects average daily completed ports for 2016 will definitely surpass any figures they have ever recorded.

"First of all, it placed Nigeria at par with the highly industrialized and advanced economies of the world where telecoms consumers have been able to port for decades”.

He said that MNP also mitigates monopoly of market share by any of the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) as a subscriber is free to switch provider at will.

“The Mobile Number Portability scheme also minimizes anti-competitive practices by the MNOs and creates a level playing field. Mobile Number Portability is also of immense benefit to the Mobile Network Operator’s as a new entrant Network Operator will find it easier to acquire subscribers. This is because the migration process to a new service provider has been completely simplified", the MD said.

He said that existing network operators also benefit from the scheme as it gives them the opportunity to increase their market share, while maximizing the number range allocated to them.

"In addition, mobile number portability is cost effective for Organisations. Corporate communication has become cheaper and easier. Official mobile numbers can be ported to one network and enjoy the benefit of cheaper 'on net rates'", he added.

Porting Activities in 2015

Recent statistics released by the NCC show that telecoms operators, last year, recorded the highest number of porting subscribers on their networks, totaling 431, 978 for both outgoing and incoming porting.

The figure was the highest since Mobile Number Portability was introduced in 2013.

Porting activities across networks from January to December 2015, showed that a total of 219, 577 subscribers ported out of the networks of Airtel, Etisalat, Globacom and MTN, while 212, 401 subscribers ported into the networks of the four GSM operators, totaling 431, 978 recorded number of porting as at December 2015.

In June 2015, operators recorded the highest number of incoming porting subscribers across networks, totaling 51, 251, while they recorded the lowest number of incoming porting subscribes across networks in the month of January 2015, totaling 26, 824.

The statistics also showed the operators recorded the highest number of outgoing porting subscribers in the month of June 2015, totaling 28, 712, while the lowest number of outgoing porting subscribers in the month of January 2015, was put at 14, 330.

From the statistics, Etisalat recorded the highest number of incoming porting subscribers to its network, totaling 14,125 in June 2015, while MTN had the lowest number of incoming porting subscribers totaling 436 in December 2015.

For the outgoing porting subscribers, MTN recorded the highest number of subscribers that ported out of its network in the month June 2015, which was put at 19,214, while Etisalat had the lowest number of subscribers that ported out of its network in October 2015, which was put at only 1, 241.

Also, over 4,000 subscribers ported within the first four days of its launch, while 7,164 subscribers ported to different networks within one month of the MNP launch. However, the excitement from subscribers later reduced in the subsequent month, which many attributed to the strings attached to MNP by the NCC.

One of the attached strings was that a subscriber must remain on a particular network for up to 90 days after the initial porting.

The implication was that the subscriber would remain on a particular network for as much as 90 days after the initial porting, even when the network service quality is poor.