CCK sets terms for number portability (Kenya)
The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) has reportedly announced that it will take a maximum of 2 days for a mobile phone subscriber to migrate to a new network once mobile number portability comes into effect on April 1.
The MNP process is expected to begin as scheduled. CCK stated that the process could also take a few minutes but that it has set 48 hours as the maximum time needed to port numbers. As per Regulator Director General Charles Njoroge, CCK will launch a consumer campaign this week, providing more information over the process.
A subscriber will have to stay within the new network for three months before being allowed to port again. To migrate, subscribers must pay a one off fee of US$2.40, with normal charges applied thereafter.
Turkcell delays its debut in Western Europe
Turkcell’s Director General S¼reyya Ciliv has revealed that it has delayed its debut in Western Europe.
According to Ciliv, the firm would open for business in the country in April, despite originally targeting a launch during 1Q10 when it unveiled a five year deal to piggyback on Deutsche Telekom’s 3G networks in the country in October.
According to reports, the operator will target 3.5 million Turks living in Germany through its Turkcell Europe subsidiary. The division will head expansion into other European countries, with rollout determined by the number of Turkish ex-pats living in each market.
The operator has pledged to abolish roaming rates for ex-pats living in Germany, as it seeks to grab a 4% share of the market.
RURA pushes back MNP until 2012 (Rwanda)
The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) has reportedly postponed the introduction of mobile number portability (MNP) from this year to 2012.
According to RURA’s Director General, Regis Gatarayiha, the service, which allows subscribers to retain their phone number when they switch service provider, has been delayed to allow the country’s three mobile operators to fully establish themselves in the market. They have decided to postpone the introduction of the service to 2012 because the market is not yet ready for it; the company also wants the market to have a 60% mobile penetration.
Regis added that the bigger advantage for a subscriber comes in the form of better network connectivity with competitive tariff plans. Only those service providers who will deliver on these two fronts will retain a customer.
3G, MNP to describe telecom future in 2011 (India)
Projections have suggested that India will achieve 893 million wireless subscribers by 2012 & 1,243 million wireless subscribers by 2015.
This growth comes with economies of scale. India possesses the lowest tariffs in the world leading to lowest ARPU’s of $3 per subscriber per month, combined with the highest minutes of usage.
According to the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), every 10% increase in the mobile penetration rate leads to a 1.2% higher growth rate. A huge jinx for the sector, however, was the can of worms, which popped out with the 2G scam being busted. It is said to have robbed the exchequer of US$39.17 billion by offering licences to telecom companies in 2008 at prices prevailing in 2001.
For subscribers, apart from the intense tariff war, Mobile Number Portability (MNP) and 3G were the most consumer-friendly introductions during the year. While MNP would enable a consumer to choose a service provider and thus put pressure on companies to deliver the best service, 3G would open up a new range of services, including data downloads within the shortest possible time.
The 3G/BWA auctions held this year helped the government raise $16 billion and boost its fiscal situation. The spectrum has been allotted to the winners and services are expected to be launched shortly. MNP was first launched in the Haryana circle to begin with, with a pan-India launch scheduled by January 20th, 2010.
According to Rajan Mathews, Director General, COAI, the telecom sector has successfully withstood the challenges of global recession, an intense tariff war as a result of which tariffs fell to rock bottom levels, with some operators introducing paise per second rates as well as cheap service launches by new operators looking for a piece of the pie.
Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is not expected to cause a major disruption or significantly shift market shares. While established players have the most to lose given their large customer base, they also have strong propositions and stand to benefit from lessons learnt from global markets that already have MNP. India has very high churn rates already. While MNP may have a one-time impact, it is likely that the winners will be those who are already winning the net acquisition battle.
Online companies should pay according to traffic they generate: France Telecom
France Telecom has stated that Google and others should be billed according to how much traffic they generate on French networks.
According to the Director General of France Telecom Stephane Richard, using the network of a provider in France should be subject to a charge. Those who generate a lot of traffic should contribute according to the traffic they generate.
Addressing a conference at the Icate telecom and audiovisual institute in Montpellier, southern France, he stated that Internet firms generating lots of online activity should share the cost of updating networks to meet the demand. France Telecom was making big investments to expand Internet services which should be accompanied by a fair sharing of value between content providers and operators.
BlackBerry’s suspension in UAE ‘finally’ averted
As per Mohammed al-Ghanim, director general of the country’s telecom regulator,, the United Arab Emirates’ deal with Research In Motion Ltd. that averted a suspension of BlackBerry smartphone services is finalâ€.
RIM’s pact announced on Oct. 8, which averted a ban planned for Oct. 11, cme after Saudi Arabia canceled a planned shutdown of BlackBerry services and the Indian government said it would push back a deadline to suspend BlackBerry services as it works toward a solution.
Al-Ghanim declined to provide further details.
