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Review of number portability rules postponed

By BusinessNews Staff on December 6, 2013

There are indications that the planned review of the conditions governing the Mobile Number Portability scheme has been shifted to a future date.

Following the clamour by telecoms subscribers for the amendment of the MNP processes, a committee was set up in June to assess the entire framework.

But more than six months after the committee was raised, its members representing all stakeholders have yet to meet.

A member of the committee, who did not want his name published, told our correspondent that the review was unlikely this year.

The stakeholders’ meeting was initially planned for July this year to get fresh inputs from the regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission; telecoms operators, Interconnect Clearinghouse Nigeria Limited (the firm that handles the entire porting process), the judiciary and subscribers’ associations, among others, on the way forward.

Six months after the review move was initiated, the process appears to be stalled as nothing is currently being said about the plan.

The source said the ‘silence’ about the proposed review could be as a result of the poor acceptance of the scheme by Nigerians.

The meeting, it was learnt, was aimed at addressing major areas of concern such as the crave of subscribers for new SIM cards instead of porting to another network whenever the need arises; and the rise in the use of dual/multiple SIM phones by subscribers. These were considered a major setback for the MNP scheme.

A source at the NCC told our correspondent in confidence that the MNP scheme at the moment was not perfect, adding that emerging issues around the porting process were expected.

Some of the contentious issues have to do with asking a subscriber to stay on a particular network for 90 days before migrating to another network after the initial porting; and the 48-hour porting process period.

People have also complained about poor awareness, especially in the hinterlands; and the need for physical presence before a successful porting.

These concerns, it was learnt, informed the call for a review of the scheme.

It was also gathered that the judiciary was involved in the programme in anticipation of possible litigation by subscribers.

The MNP allows for loss of airtime and data by subscribers who successfully complete their porting process.

This development, it was learnt, could result in court cases between subscribers and their network operators. Analysts said this also called for a review of the grey areas in the scheme.

The MNP was unveiled on April 22 for the four mobile operators in the country – Airtel, Etisalat, Globacom and MTN.

The Chief Operating Officer, Interconnect Clearinghouse Nigeria Limited, Mr. Uche Onwudiwe, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, said aside the stakeholders’ meeting, the review would be subject to the NCC’s approval.

Onwudiwe, who expressed the hope that a meeting might be held before the end of the year, said the review could reduce the time for completing a porting process, enforce penalties on operators frustrating the process, and enhance the security requirements for subscribers to forestall possible breaches.

Just last week, the NCC alleged that telecoms operators were frustrating the success of the MNP scheme in the country.

It also threatened to apply necessary sanctions against contraventions.

The Executive Vice-Chairman, NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, said while there were business rules on porting services, which operators were supposed to comply with, there were still cases of contravention among operators.

He said, “For the MNP, there is what we call ‘Business Rules’. These rules are produced not solely by the NCC; but also in conjunction with other stakeholders in the industry including the operators themselves and the application of the rules was jointly approved.

“The MNP is something that was requested by the subscribers and supported by the regulators. My advice is that concerned operators should start obeying the rules of the MNP game because if they continue disobeying the business rules, we would apply sanctions and very soon, we would come down heavily on the errant operators as a way of regulator intervention.”

[Punch]

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