Connect with us

News

Want to Switch Your Mobile Network without Changing Your Phone Number? NCC Begins Mobile Number Portability Service across All GSM Networks

Published

 on

Have you ever had the desire to switch your mobile network without having to change your phone number? Now you have the opportunity to as the Federal Government has backed the initiative of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to commence number porting across the GSM networks.

The exercise was launched in Nigeria yesterday and all the GSM operators and NCC is set to rollout the service. Operators of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), like Visafone, Capcom and Intercellular, would however not be part of the exercise at the moment, because of the different technology that they operate.

The Minister of Communications Technology, Omobola Johnson, told ThisDay that Mobile Number Portability (MNP) would give subscribers the choice to select networks that offer best telecoms services, insisting that Nigerians have to embrace it, since it was the best option in a bad situation.

“We are going ahead with MNP because it will increase competition in the industry. It, however, does not stop the service quality issue because we have a nationwide service quality issue, which cuts across networks. We are doing a lot of other things to improve telecoms service, by creating an enabling environment for network operators to roll out infrastructure, and reduce bottlenecks on right of ways, wilful destruction of telecoms facilities, among other measures,” she said.

This service which is currently being practised in South Africa and in most countries in Europe, is to give subscribers the choice to move from their original network to another network, in search of better service quality. The subscriber also has the choice of returning to the initial network, if the service later improves.

To use this service, the number to be ported must be a SIM registered number with your current operator. The subscriber must physically visit the retail store/customer outlet of the new operator. Also, a photo identification card must be presented to the new operator. This therefore means that there will be no proxy porting process. Also, a porting will be completed within 48 hours from the port request. It is available on MTN, Airtel, Glo and Etisalat networks.

What do you think about this new service? Are you interested in changing your mobile network? If you are, where would you be migrating to?

Adeola Adeyemo is a graduate of Industrial Relations and Personnel Management from University of Lagos. However, her passion is writing and she worked as a reporter with NEXT Newspaper. She believes that anything can be written about; anything can be a story depending on the angle it is seen from and the writer's imagination. When she is not writing news or feature articles, she slips into her fantasies and creates interesting fiction pieces. She blogs at www.deolascope.blogspot.com

Advertisement

Star Features

css.php