Safaricom says set to launch MNP (Kenya)
Safaricom Kenya has stated that it is ready to launch the MNP services (Mobile number portability) ahead of the April 1 deadline.
According to CEO Bob Collymore, Safaricom has aligned all the critical systems and is ready to implement the protocol from the April 1 date as set by the Communications Commission of Kenya. Safaricom hopes that other operators are equally prepared. He stated that inter-operator tests carried out so far by Safaricom and one of the operators as instructed by the CCK had shown a system that works.
He hoped that tests with other operators will be comparable and welcomed mobile subscribers to take advantage of the new protocol to migrate and enjoy Safaricom’s proposition. Porting subscribers are expected to pay a fee of US$2.34 to Porting Access, the company appointed to administer the porting process.
Nokia files lawsuit against Kenyan Number Portability Clearing House
Nokia has filed a lawsuit against the Kenyan company that is going to manage the clearing house for Mobile Number Portability next month over unpaid bills.
The company, Porting Access Kenya, is being sued by four different organizations over the unpaid bills which amount to nearly US$4 million.
According to reports citing court documents, Nokia is the lead plaintiff and is suing for US$3.7 million, while Daima Bank wants US$1,41,840, businessman Sanjeet Thethy US$6,38,280 which includes interest and lawyer Njeri Onyango 41,370.
Porting Access won the tender to manage the MNP clearing house out of seven firms that tendered and will charge a fee of US$2.36 per number ported.
Launching MNP in Kenya has had a troubled history. The plans, originally announced in 2004 were put on hold in 2007 after the regulator cited the high costs of implementing the system. They were then resurrected in late 2008 for launch between March and September 2009. Due to be offered by July, the deadline was pushed back to the end of 2010, and now to April 2011.
CCK says operators ready to begin MNP testing (Kenya)
The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) has stated that the mobile operators are ready to begin testing the mobile number portability system.
As per CCK, according to the latest reports of the technical meetings, all operators are ready to commence testing their MNP systems this week.
According to previous reports, a number of mobile operators were not technically ready for the service which is to be implemented on April 1. Orange Kenya Mickael Ghossein stated that operators were yet to carry out technical trials and some don’t have the equipment in place.
The regulator added that although the mobile operators may not be exactly at the same level of preparedness, the Commission is yet to receive any formal notification suggesting inability to implement MNP by the agreed date of April 1. The country missed the initial December 2010 deadline due to logistical issues, operators said.
O2 Germany to commercially launch LTE on July 1
O2 Germany is reportedly planning to launch LTE services commercially on July 1,2011.
The bandwidth of the services is expected to be between 4 and 16 Mbps. O2 also unveiled a WLAN Hotspot tariff option focusing on business customers with the O2 o tariff. The option will give customers unlimited access to internet via O2′s WLAN network in Germany. O2 will also start offering MNP (mobile number portability) for existing O2 customers who want to transfer to O2 o.
The operator did not provide details about tariffs and speed differentiation.
MTNL lost 10,355 users from MNP (India)
Junior Telecom Minister, Sachin Pilot stated that state-run telecom company Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. (MTNL) has lost 10,355 users since the launch of mobile number portability (MNP).
According to Pilot, MTNL gained 4,486 new users from other telecom companies through MNP, a service that allows mobile phone users to switch their service providers without changing their numbers.
MNP service was launched on Nov. 25 in the northern Indian state of Haryana, and subsequently extended it across the country on Jan. 20. MTNL provides communications services only in the Delhi and Mumbai service areas.
Pilot added that state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. lost 223,824 users to other mobile phone companies after the launch of MNP and gained 92,243 new users from others. BSNL offers services in the remaining of 20 of India’s 22 telecom service areas.
Mobile Number Portability to hit India today
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to flag off the nationwide launch of mobile number portability today, a move that will allow users to switch operators without losing their phone numbers and will force telcos to improve the quality of services.
According to Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, he thinks it’s a great step forward for the consumer, as it enhances choice and brings in more competition, because the more efficient you are as a service provider, the more likely that consumers will choose you. MNP services were first launched in Haryana in November last year. Nevertheless, companies like Idea Cellular and Vodafone started marketing their services to subscribers in other parts of the country.
Price cut help Airtel in boosting subscriber base in Kenya
Bharti Airtel’s Managing director Rene Meza has announced that the company has doubled its subscriber base in Kenya after the company slashed its call costs last August. The company added two million subscribers to bring its total to four million over the past five months.
According to him, with the drop in tariffs, they have seen an increase in volumes, both in users and in minutes. The average number of minutes customers spent on the phone had tripled since August, without saying how many minutes’ consumers spent talking on their mobile phones daily.
Competition against the dominant operator, Safaricom is also expected to intensify from April 2011, when Mobile Number Portability is due to be launched, following several years of delay.
