Gsm Operators To Lose Phone Number Monopoly

Soon, your Glo number can become an MTN line—and vice versa—without you having to change your SIM card. And you may wish to do that at will.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it has concluded plans to break the monopoly over numbers of subscribers.

This new regime, known as “number portability”, will allow subscribers to move from one network to the other, without necessarily changing their SIM cards or altering their numbers.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Mr Ernest Ndukwe, disclosed this new plan during the fourth anniversary of the Telecoms Consumer Parliament held in Abuja at the weekend.

Ndukwe said the number portability would help reduce the complaints of “poor quality of service on the network of certain operators”, as subscribers would have the opportunity to change operators at will.

NCC said the number portability would push all the mobile phone operators to reduce their tariffs and improve the quality of their services since the monopoly over subscribers would be removed.

Many subscribers said they had remained on particular mobile networks because of the fear of losing their identified numbers, promising to be more adventurous as soon as the number portability was implemented.

But the Big Question is When Will This Be? Will It Actually Work?

Can you provide a link to the web page you copied this from? Thanks a million.

This is a nice idea but is it backed by enabling laws?

@otokx
Don't get too legalistic! This is how it is in the UK and I am sure its the same in Europe

This works so well in the USA and makes us, the subscribers, KINGS. It doesn't require rocket science to understand and implement, atleast we would begin to expect better service from the draconian service providers that have milked us so dry, and yet provided us with embarrassing service.

this has worked fine in this side of the world for about 8yrs (i think or may be a little bit more). I think it gives the subscriber beta servicesa and also means the telecoms provider works very hard at retaining the customer. One thing u have to be careful with (as it initial occured here and still does with some telecomes provider) is that if you port your number from glo to mtn, technically its now a mtn number. so if a mtn user should call you it should be a call charged as mtn to mtn. but no, it MAY be charged as mtn to glo as the call is routed first to glo who then route the call back to mtn. it got corrected here by some telecoms provider (due to oftel regulations) but it has happened that some many times, you get over charged and if u r not aware then tough luck, if you are and call them up (after speaking to the manager) or writing in you get yourmoney back.

In naija - what represents OFTEL and does it work?
Whats the complaint procedure. I bought a glo recharge card myself (not tampered with at all) when i went on to load my card with the 500 naira it wont work, it took me about 3days and lots of fone calls with EXTREMELY poor customer service. i would have given up but i thot no.

That should have been a complaint to OFTEL, but in naija, Mike adenuga (at that time) would have paid peanuts (mega money to me) to get them to wipe out my complaint!!!

So, its a shame though and i only hope that things get better in naija, there is no employment, but if someone in the project management team of this telecoms compnay were working right, nearly half of the unemployed will be employed.

The vast majority of work to be done, people willing to do it but companies bent on making 1000000000000000000000000000000% profit at d expense of d people

Naija ,

This is pure stupidity.

It will hinder the growth of the sector.

Services should be improved by rigid competition and investments, not by people switching Carriers when they aren't satisfied.
I look at the news, and I see new carriers trying to enter the Nigerian Market, yet the NCC wants to dissolve the Market.

Obviously the initiative is favorable in their countries, because the Telecoms sector there is evolved and well developed.

Look, the Nigerian Market is becoming the hottest in the Middle East/Africa region, world class services are inevitable.

Let's be real here, a lot of the inadequacies in services, is not due to the carrier but the Communications Backbone. For services to improve carriers must use more efficient technologies. Things like GSM Masts are inadequate and there is no real alternative because Nitel ,which supplies the majority of the lines to operators doesn't yet have an effective infrastructure in place.

With time the Nigerian Telecoms industry will become world class, let us not hinder the process

I hope it doesn't go through. Amin

Heard same on the news yesterday. I just can't wait for it to happen.

if it woks without skemishes, i think its d beginin of good tins to come, they will all seat up as it leads them to scrambling for users of their netwok.

this will complicate the whole issue. Imagine every one moving to MTN

Oh my God not again, anyway we all know this na naija and the idea will soon be suspended just like its sister the naira redomination that was suspended recently. Naija no get mind for all this big big thing o. They just like feeling like they have ideas at the end of the day they dont have the liver to execute it.

Switching from glo to MTN and vice versa at will is a good thing to happen. But will it be implmented? If this policy does not favour some operators they can run to Minitry of Justice and one person will say 'oh it runs contrary to section 1000000 of Communication Act of 2020.'

This is very Good idea.

Does this also mean that if i switch my Glo line to Mtn, i get to enjoy mtn freebies like free night calls and i now load my phone with mtn recharge card instead of Glo's?

and also,

Are there going to be hidden charges or technicalities involved in switching to another network?

Someone should please throw some more light, we have to debate this matter well o, because nigeria's case is always a different issue.

SO MAKE WE KNOW WETHER TO SUSPEND THE POLICY NOW O!

NCC is not doing enough at all, i think depite the huge amount we are paying for calls, we are not getting quality for our money

Me love this idea O.

*Especially pple wey get 100sim cards ^{Pple like me}

Angelgirl:

Does this also mean that if i switch my Glo line to Mtn, i get to enjoy mtn freebies like free night calls and i now load my phone with mtn recharge card instead of Glo's?

and also,

Are there going to be hidden charges or technicalities involved in switching to another network?

Someone should please throw some more light, we have to debate this matter well o, because nigeria's case is always a different issue.

SO MAKE WE KNOW WETHER TO SUSPEND THE POLICY NOW O!

Its Still in the Making!

THIS CANNOT WORK IN A COUNTRY LIKE NIGERIA.

MTN THE LARGEST SERVICE PROVIDERS WILL BRIBE NCC

WATCH OUT

Hey folks,
I've been wanting to post a topic, but it hasn't been successful. How do I goa bout it? Thanks

Hey folks,
I've been wanting to post a topic, but it hasn't been successful. How do I goa bout it? Thanks

from n/land home page look for the link to post topic, click on it and you can type in the field provided there.

hope this helps.

or better still, in this window where you are reading this replies, scroll down and you see a link titled send topic, you can use that.

ogl

just found out the two methods above don't work, sorry

the correct way is from any category ie jokes, you see a link with new topic, that works

sorry for the hassles.

To me this is just rubbish, like I understand the different carriers would still have different tariffs but they would not have a unique number assigned to each carrier. (eg. no more 0803, 0805 to tell you what particular network the person is on)

Could these be real?

esilove:

THIS CANNOT WORK IN A COUNTRY LIKE NIGERIA.

MTN THE LARGEST SERVICE PROVIDERS WILL BRIBE NCC

WATCH OUT

Na wa o.

What is in this?

When are we going to start believing in ourselves?

@Topic

I dont like the idea at all.

Example: If my number is originally 0803bbbbbb, basically an MTN line, i swapped to glo but still retain my old number.
My friends who knows me to be MTN will now be paying fortune to call me. How many of them am i going to advertise to of my move to glo.

Let glo be glo and Celtel be Celtel.

Eeeya free night callers sorry ooo mtn has found the perfect excuse to stop it(thats d only smile it bring to mtn).

lets wait and c what will happen, at all at all na witch, make we c wether e go work first

Let me help us get this very clear,

The practice of intra network calls being cheaper than inter network calls is a calculated attempt at amassing profits while stifling competition. With number portability, you simply move from network A to network B, while retaining the same old number.
You can not imagine the magnitude of competition we'll have when this comes on, and ofcourse we, the subsribers would be kings and the beautiful bride. Call costs will drop, free minutes will abound, text messages will become cheaper, and above all, service and customer relations will be highly improved. It's a good thing, and that is why developed nations have embraced it for so many years.

this thing wanna work die,
if u dont feel satisfied with a network u dont have to buy a new sim card anymore, thats the logic! cos the NCC was like out of the 38million lines in nigeria a full six million are inactive(i know i've contributed my share!)

Why are you guys making sound like a big deal? In essence, what the NCC is doing is just removing the "Ownership title" tied to mobile numbers. Meaning, for example, 0803, 0806, 0703 does not essentially belong to MTN.

In no way would it make networks to increase their drive for service improvement anymore than they are currently. Furthermore, the tariffs on any network you are currently on applies.

Believe me, this would cause a lot of confusion. For instance, I for one prefer calling GLO destinations(I use glo) because of the reduced on-net tariffs. When it happens, I would not know what network service the person I want to call is on, even though the number is a 0805, 0807!! na extra "gbese" be dat o!

Infact, make NCC leave me alone as I dey!

I remember posting on this thread. What happened to my post?

it's sure going to be very interesting.at least from a suscriber's point of view.but,if man change from glo to MTN, and then i happen to loose my sim, who do i go to for replacement? i know it sounds quite simple, but, humm, this na naija o.