Mobile Number Portability starts next year By The Nation 29/12/2011

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said the main focus of its regulatory mandate in 2012 would be to ensure that telecom operators provide quality service to subscribers. As part of measures to ensure operators improve quality of service delivery, the commission has said it will implement the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) initiative next year. Number Portability will allow phone users to move from one network to another without losing their original numbers. Fielding questions from reporters in Lagos, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr Tony Ojobo, said with the implementation of Mobile Number Portability next year, there will be intense competition among service providers to improve quality of telecommunications service delivery. According to him, this initiative will empower subscribers to choose service provider based on service quality. He assured that “in 2012, we are going to see a remarkable improvement in quality of service as a result of competition and power now in the hands of the consumers because they have choice.” In October, the commission announced the appointment of a consortium of three companies to implement the service in Nigeria. According to the commission, the consortium made up of Interconnect, Saab and Grintek/Telecordia, will be responsible for the setting-up and implementation of MNP Clearing House in Nigeria, and provide MNP solution administration in Nigeria within six months of receiving the licence with a testing period of two months.