MTN Nigeria has taken a big hit by recording 49 per cent of the overall subscribers that have switched service providers under the recently introduced Mobile Number Portability (MNP) scheme, according to figures released this week by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

With over 114 million active phone lines in Nigeria, mobile phone subscribers now have the freedom to switch from any non-performing operator and still retain their numbers with the introduction of number porting, NCC said when the scheme was launched last April.

On the same day of number porting launch, MTN, the largest network by subscriber numbers, launched its widely celebrated “Saka Don Port” campaign.

In the controversial TV commercial, MTN used an actor popularly known as Saka, who hitherto featured in TV commercials for rival Etisalat Nigeria, to promote its number porting campaign, urging subscribers to migrate to its network.

The Saka Don Port video by MTN got rave reviews and several wannabes, including a YouTube animation, which was to further trigger mixed reactions from industry market watchers.

Figures released by NCC showed that Etisalat may have emerged the big winner in the number porting duel between the two mobile phone companies as it recorded the biggest gain of 44 per cent in the first month of porting in the country, reported TechonologyTimes, an online ICT publication.

NCC Director of Public Affairs, Tony Ojobo, said number porting had deepened competition so far and given subscribers a choice to switch networks without losing their unique numbers, which he cited as one of the gains of the milestone 12th year of commercial roll out of GSM services in Nigeria in August 2001.

Ojobo said within the first month after the April launch of number porting, among an overall number of subscribers that switched service providers in the telecoms market, MTN topped the losers table when it recorded a 49 per cent switch to other networks in May.

Globacom followed MTN by recording losses of 23 per cent; Airtel Nigeria was number three with overall losses of 17 per cent while Etisalat Nigeria came last on the losers table with 11 per cent for May figures.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/porting-mtn-is-biggest-loser-etisalat-biggest-gainer/155048/

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My take:

I did note that like Ghana, MTN being the 'biggest loser' wouldn't be a surprise prediction but industry experts had warned us to note this may just be aesthetics (see Re: MTN The Most Hated Network? For No Reason ) 'cos after all, a company may make huge profits on paper but have low cash to pay out in real terms

In simple words, this might just be a play on numbers. The long-term effects (let's see in 2015 for example) may however dispute or suport this notion!

Reality: much still has to be done as regards ease of porting to one's network of choice in a country where subscribers already have more than one phone for different networks or dual SIM phones. Still, if the alternatives were better, a huge number of these subscribers would rather have one phone or network provider to satisfy their telecom needs.

Them say no be person wey first report case go police station(saka porting) dey always win. I just wonder how saka go dey feel. Time to Port back to etisalat Saka and this time you will be doing for free.

Em-pty-Hen Sowie oh!
I dun c' say Eti-mu.mu's 15mb+Free Credit dun de arrange customers oh!

Lil Advice 2 D' Loser'z;
"Mk una try arrange d' 1GB for 5H plan 4 Android Users, then una go xperience Big tym Re-PORTING oh"

Jux try am n' Thank Me L8r

i knw it right from time.
etisalat is the best network

my hatred for MTN has increase because of this BIS they stop with non BB phone shame on u thanks for airtel for now with BIS

What we should ask is how many customers ported in and out of networks, if 30000 people ported and MTN lost 15000 of them does that harm them in any way, the number of subscribers before MNP on the MTN networks was 45million now they have 52 million so who lost.
MNP is just an idea in futility as there is no fool proof network anywhere. No light, bad roads, why should a mast be run on alternative power supply, if the diesel finishes or if there was scarcity of petroleum products how would those masts operate. NCC should help in making the government make the environment conducive for business. In my area to setup a mast the area boys collected money, omo'nile collected too, the landlord tenants association want to collect even the youths want to collect so what are we talking these guys pay for these things their facilities are destroyed by bomb attacks or thieves yet we want stable network when we are not in UK or USA. Shine your eyes people that report just came out to make it look like they are working.

Mehn, I hate MTN... Did I just say "hate" I loathe MTN.

MTN should just fix their bandwidth supply inconsistency and data cost if they wanna get back on track.
P.S: Saka porting was useless afterall.

ikeugbo: What we should ask is how many customers ported in and out of networks, if 30000 people ported and MTN lost 15000 of them does that harm them in any way, the number of subscribers before MNP on the MTN networks was 45million now they have 52 million so who lost.
MNP is just an idea in futility as there is no fool proof network anywhere. . .Shine your eyes people that report just came out to make it look like they are working.

true! In fact, this is a bias of statistics - sometimes the sample may be small but outcomes are outrageous; am not privy too the data used here anyway. Nigeria shoots herself in the foot when she makes business difficult to conduct yet she wants regulation or 'rights' in the abyss of so many wrongs she created.