Over 10,000 mobile subscribers change providers since Ghana launched MNP

Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is catching on in Ghana since the process was launched July 7, 2011.

As at 12 noon Friday July 22, more than 10,000 mobile phone subscribers have ported or changed subscribers, according to Mr. Bob Palitz, the MNP Consultant to telecoms regulator, the National Communications Authority (NCA).

Mr. Palitz writes on the Facebook page of MNP Ghana, “At noon today, we passed 10,000 customers successfully ported since launch 7/7.”

When the process began, by the close of the first day on July 7, 150 subscribers had ported and by the end of the third day on July 10, over 1000 subscribers had switched their mobile service providers.

Meanwhile, neither the telecoms companies nor the NCA would say which providers are the biggest losers or winners. When a member on the Facebook page asked “When will we know the winners & the losers?”

Mr. Palitz responded, “You won’t hear it from NCA. Each network has had people going in and out. If they want to talk about their particular situation, they can do that.”

MNP is a process that enables mobile phone customers to switch to another network provider and still keep their numbers including the code.

One can however, only port again after 30 days of the initial porting or thereafter.

Ghana has six mobile phone operators licensed to do business in the country. These are MTN, Tigo, Vodafone, Airtel, Expresso and Globacom. But Globacom is yet to start operations.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi