Mobile number portability’ll create healthy competition —NCC

Mobile Number Portability was introduced into the telecoms industry to create healthy competition among the operators, the Nigerian Communications Commission has stated.

The Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, said this at the end of the 73rd edition of the Telecoms Consumer Parliament held in Enugu on Saturday.

Juwah said consumers of telecoms services were desirous of getting value for their money and stated that it was the duty of the commission to protect them from abuse by service providers.

In line with this, he said NCC had introduced the porting regime to enhance quality on the networks and force operators to lower their tariffs.

Juwah said, “Mobile Number Portability will provide consumers with the option of choosing their network at any time, while retaining their numbers. It will give rise to healthy competition in the industry, enhance quality of service and improve service delivery to the consumers.

“It will provide consumers with unfettered choice and remove the trouble of having to move around with multiple cell phones. Mobile Number Portability will eliminate the associated cost of updating business contacts, marketing, notifying family members and associates.”

Juwah expressed optimism that porting would considerably bring down tariffs in view of the competition it would engender among operators.

“It will further expand the market place and make the deployment of new and enhanced telecoms services faster and more cost effective,” he said.