About 72,058 subscribers have quit Etisalat network to other telecoms networks in the country in the last four years, latest data obtained from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have shown.

The subscribers, which quit the telecoms network between May 2013 and last January did so in search of better services on rival telecoms networks such as MTN, Globacom and Airtel, courtesy the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service introduced by the regulator.

MTN is a scheme introduced in May 2013 by the NCC to be run among the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) operators to provide wider choices for telecoms consumers.

The MNP or simply porting service makes it possible for subscribers to port or migrate from their existing network to other networks found to be offering better services while retaining their number. According to data obtained from NCC, over 72,058 subscribers have quit Etisalat, though the telecoms company also attracted customers from competitors.

A breakdown of the subscriber flight from Etisalat to rivals showed that in 2013, the telecoms network lost 7,040 of its subscribers to competitions. In 2014, Etisalat lost 21,124 and in 2015 and 2016, Etisalat lost 20,656 and 21,513 existing subscribers to competitors respectively, according to data obtained from NCC. Last January, a total of 1,725 new subscribers decided to port out of Etisalat network.

“Subscribers have a right to port in and out of any network so long as they sense better service experience on other networks of their choice and that is the beauty of mobile number portability introduced in 2013,” said President, Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS), Mr. Deolu Ogunbanjo. Industry analysts say that subscribers mainly port out of any network when the services on the particular network are no longer satisfactory to them.

An Etisalat subscriber, Mr. Bamise Tella, said: “However, said Etisalat, which has been rated to have one of the best service in the country largely because of limited subscribers on its network compared to rival operators, is said to have been offering poor services lately, as confirmed by its subscribers.

“Until recently, Etisalat has been very good, but now, the network has been very poor in my area in Redemption Camp, Ogun State, where I live. I also have similar horrible experience using the network when I come to Lagos for business.”

Tella was not alone in encountering this problem, as other subscribers, who spoke with New Telegraph, also bemoaned the intermittent services on the network, just as a Lagos Island-based businessman, Timileyin John and a Bureau de Change dealer, at Ikeja area of Lagos, Abdullahi Imran, also confirmed that Etisalat had degenerated in terms of service quality.

“Since Etisalat seems to be getting worse in terms of service, I may have no option than to migrate to another network, thanks to the mobile number portability scheme introduced by NCC, which provides wider choices for subscribers,” John said. Etisalat is the fourth largest telecoms network in Nigeria with over 23 million subscribers, representing about 15 per cent market share in an industry with 170 million active mobile subscriptions in the country.

Mobile number portability MNP activities in the nation’s telecommunication sector grew by over 18 per cent on all major GSM operators in 2016. Analysts say the growth is suggestive of lingering unsatisfactory service being delivered by the operators, forcing subscribers to migrate to other networks in search of better service, even as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has warned the operators to improve services or face stiffer sanctions.

According to the latest data on mobile porting activities on mobile networks obtained from the NCC, the industry recorded a total of 237,439 outgoing ported lines in 2016. In 2015, GSM companies, including Glo, MTN, Airtel and Etisalat, ported 201,464 outgoing lines.

This newspaper’s analysis show that MNP figure in 2016 surpassed the 2015 figure by 35,975, representing an 18 per cent year-on-year growth in porting activities.
Speaking on porting activities in the country, Director, Public Affairs at NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, noted that MNP is a need-based value-added service for willing subscribers.

He said MNP is not a compulsory service that people must subscribe to. If a subscriber sees a need for it, he or she may switch from his or her current network to another and if not, he or she remains on its current network. “So, you don’t expect a surge in MNP uptake since it is based on the decision of the subscribers to either port or not to port.

Yet, I believe we are having impressive uptake, coming mostly from individuals who have seen a need to migrate. The beauty of porting services is freedom of choices,” Ojobo said.

The NCC, in 2012, had set strict Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on Quality of Service (QoS) for telecoms operators and has continued to sanction operators for not meeting the QoS parameters.

Ojobo said MNP scheme was introduced to also boost competition among telecoms operators to provide improved services, encourage them to invest in network expansion, as well as providing wider choices for subscribers..