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.
Airtel Nigeria seeks reduction in interconnect rate
Bharti Airtel has requested the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to reduce the interconnect charges between operators to enable a further reduction in call tariffs.
Group Director for Corporate Affairs at Bharti Airtel, Narender Gupta stressed that at NGN 9, the nation’s interconnect rate was too high.
According to reports, Gupta also requested NCC to speed up the start of number portability.
Telecom Minister says portability will keep mobile tariffs low (India)
The government is expecting market competition and number portability to ensure reasonable tariff for subscribers despite the Centre’s new policy of charging operators for additional spectrum and ushering an auction-based pricing.
With some operators speaking of telecom services costing more in view of added costs the new policy entails, the government did not rule out a more unfettered play of market forces but felt increase in subscriber costs need not be the obvious impact of new charges being levied on air waves that were previously not charged.
According to Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, there can be some fluctuations in rates but he thinks number portability and more open competition will mean rates remain reasonable. The customer will get low tariffs, the telecom sector can make reasonable profit and the government will get its revenues too.
He added that not adopting the auction route had drawn flak and now that the government was saying all spectrums would be charged and new allocations would be auctioned, the question of cost was raised. You can’t have it both ways, pointing out that the policy aimed to make the processes transparent.
The government believes charging for additional spectrum allotted to telecom service providers is essential to restore public faith in accountability and regulation of the sector. In the past no operator, either new or an early mover, paid for additional spectrum and this anomaly needed to be addressed.
On the demand that new players be allowed 6.2 MHz as start up spectrum instead of 4.4 MHz, the view in government is that the terms of trade will even out any perceived advantage to older service providers. Some licences held by those claiming first mover benefits will run out in a couple of years. These firms will have pay for licences and spectrum afresh while new licences have more years to run while also paying for air waves beyond 6.2 Mhz.
It is also felt that not charging for 1.8 MHz was an important reason in estimates of loss of revenue in 2G spectrum allocations reaching an astronomical US$38.28 billion. This could not be overlooked when the Centre revised policy and looked to shake off the baleful shadow of DMK leader A Raja’s tenure. The national auditor’s report on losses has played Prime Minister’s Office in the line of fire as well for lack of oversight.
Number portability roll-out to miss the deadline (India)
The mobile number portability has again became a question mark as Indian telecom operators to scuttle the launch of mobile number portability (MNP) and lack of will on the part of the government to ring in the new rule which has dashed all hopes of it becoming a reality from October 31, the government’s latest deadline for putting MNP in place.
MNP gives the opportunity to mobile subscribers to migrate to other operators while retaining their number within the circle. The MNP roll-out was initially to take place by December 31, 2009 in all the metros across the country. The deadline was later deferred to March 31, 2010 and then to June 30, 2010. The government had set October 31 as the latest deadline for the roll-out of MNP across all 23 telecom circles in the country.
MNP is now all set to get postponed for the fourth time in less than a year.
According to officials, MNP is expected to be pushed forward by two to three months. A government panel, which was expected to take a call on security clearance for US-based Telcordia Technologies Inc, which together with Syniverse Technologies Inc was supposed to roll out MNP pan-India from October 31 – has not met so far.
DoT had earlier issued a show-cause notice to Telcordia asking why its license for MNP should not be cancelled. Telcordia has been given time till the third week of October to respond to DoT’s notice, making the MNP roll-out almost impossible.
Telcordia Technologies received Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval for India’s MNP project in March last year.
But the home ministry revoked the clearance in August on security grounds as the company has operations in Pakistan.
Telcordia explained that it was only a software vendor for Pakistan operations and had no other business interests there. But the Indian authorities are not convinced.
As per Telecom officials, lobbies have been creating trouble for Telcordia Technologies Inc by raking up the issue of its operations in Pakistan. This was aimed at delaying the implementation of MNP.
PortingXS to provide MNP in Kenya
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Dutch company PortingXS has been selected by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) to provide number portability to the Kenya. Mobile phone number could be kept by the mobile users in the East African country when changing providers. Earlier, subscribers in Morocco, Egypt and South Africa could change providers in Africa without losing your mobile phone number.
Tender for MNP was released for the first time in October last year and received bid from six firms, both African and European. According to CEO Ronald Vlasman, PortingXS not only due to economical reasons, but also because his company plans to provide services from a local office in Nairobi and will train local students as employees.
Depending on the consultations with national providers and the CCK, the service will be started in a few months.
Videocon launches sub-1 paise plan (India)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Consumer electronics major, Videocon Group is all set to invest Rs 14,000 crore in its mobile service division over the next three years.
According to Videocon Group chairman Venugopal Dhoot, the company is targeting new customers to begin with, but is also betting on migration, once number portability comes in place.
In his opinion, the company wants to be the top 3 service provider in the country over the next three years. By the end of September, Videocon, which has licenses for all the 23 circles would become pan-India operator.
The company is a latest entrant in the mobile service arena and it has seen the likes of the other new players like MTS, Uninor and Tata Docomo is marketing its service with a sub 1 paise effective tariff†to attract customers.
The target of the company is 100million users in three years and it hopes to break even in two years. In the opinion of Dhoot, they will bag 3G licenses, which Videocon has bid for in all circles, barring Delhi and Mumbai.
Airtel introduces valentine day gift for its subscribers (India)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel is ready to with an exclusive gift for its subscribers on the occasion of Valentine day. Now, Airtel subscribers can call free through the “Unlimited Sunday” offer under which Airtel Fixed Line customers can make free Local and STD calls to other Airtel Fixed Line numbers. The offer is valid for the next three Sundays.
Airtel Fixed Line subscribers can call 121 for more information or assistance on the same.
The fierce competition between the Network Service Providers has made it imperative for them to come up with lucrative offers for its subscribers. With the number portability around the corner, they are trying hard to build their user database instead of losing some of them to other service providers.
Tariff war raises concern in India
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The brutal price war rocking India for the past few months may certainly be lucrative for customers but it has raised the concern of the analysts, who could not see any end for this bloodbath. The latest offer by Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited of as little as half a paisa (100 paisa are in a rupee) a second for a call, India’s telecoms market, already the cheapest in the world, just got cheaper.
The rapidly growing telecom market of India, which already has about 500m subscribers and adds about 10m new users a month, is considered one of the key drivers of its economic growth in recent years.
Analysts believe the industry may have too many operators chasing a market in which subscriber numbers are high but average monthly spending by users on phone calls is very low.
After the first shot in the current price war was fired earlier this year by Tata DoCoMo, other telecom operators joining the game and the continuously plunging call rates have made telecoms the worst performing sector in India’s stock market, going down by 27 per cent this year.
The government’s plan to introduce number portability at the end of this month, in which users can retain their existing mobile number while swapping between vendors is, expected to promote another round of price competition.
Whatever concerns the industry analysts may have, the festival of low rate has just begun for the consumers.
Japan’s KDDI, JCB link up to make mobile wallet phones
TOKYO (XFN-ASIA) – KDDI Corp and credit card operator JCB Co have agreed to tie up to make cellular phones that can be used as credit cards, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported without citing sources.
The business daily said the so-called mobile wallet service would enable subscribers to pay for purchases by simply holding the devices near sensors in stores’ cash registers.
Users will be able to make purchases of up to 20,000 yen per transaction at stores participating in JCB’s mobile wallet service, the Nihon Keizai said.
Mobile phone operators are adding new services and features to retain customers ahead of the introduction of ‘number portability’ in October where customers can continue to use the same mobile phone numbers even after they subscribe to other mobile phone companies.
Source- http://www.forbes.com
Technorati : JCB, Japan, KDDI Corp, operator
Ice Rocket : JCB, Japan, KDDI Corp, operator
