Telcos gain and lose as subscribers port around for better service
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
MTN gained 832 new subscribers in April who ported from other networks – Glo, Airtel, and 9mobile – according newly released data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
MTN also lost 143 subscribers to other networks in a fierce competition for quality service in which Glo gained 112 subscribers and lost 68, Airtel attracted 354, and 9mobile welcomed 131 customers through porting.
The NCC defines outward porting as “the number of numbers ported to another service provider’s network from a service provider’s own network.”
9mobile was the biggest loser in April as 888 subscribers ported out of its network while Airtel recorded 249 outgoing porting.
Swapping was done through the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) created by the regulator which allows customers to change their service providers without changing their number.
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How MNP works
The NCC launched MNP in April 2013 to give telecom subscribers the freedom to move from one network to another for better service without changing their number.
MNP is designed to reduce complaints about poor quality of service as it gives subscribers the opportunity to change operators at will, per Nairametrics.
Subscribers port for other reasons, including tariff non-availability of service in their area, and the MNP has become the barometer by which operators measure customer satisfaction.
MNP works on Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number and not on International Subscriber Mobile Identity, hence affecting all MSISDN-based services like SMS, MMS, voice calls, and other prepaid services, the NCC explained.
There is no restriction as to the number of times a subscriber can port but there is at least a 45-day restriction time between each porting.
Subscribers have struggled to switch network providers since the government banned the sale of new SIMs and related activities due to National Identification Number-Subscriber Identity Module exercise in December 2020.
Those who switched networks fell from 182,958 in 2020 to 11,250 in 2021.
