Telecommunication switching services suffered a 91.83 per cent decline from 182,958 subscribers recorded in 2021 to 14,947 subscribers in 2020, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission.
In 2020, a total of 182,958 subscribers, through the mobile number porting service of the NCC, changed their telecoms service providers.
The number of subscribers who changed their service providers, however, fell to 14,947 in 2021, indicating a 91.83 per cent decline.
Data obtained from the commission’s portal revealed that no porting activities were recorded between January and May, while 14,947 porting activities were recorded between June and December, 2021.
6,380 subscribers switched to MTN Nigeria from other telecom service providers while 5,437 subscribers switched to Airtel. 1,832 subscribers switched to Globacom while 1,298 subscribers switched to 9mobile.
According to industry experts, subscribers port to other networks because of poor service quality offerings by their original service providers.
The NCC launched the mobile number portability service for GSM subscribers in April 2013.
The commission had said, “In furtherance of its efforts to promote competition, improve quality of service and ensure that consumers continue to enjoy a good experience on the mobile networks, the NCC launched mobile number portability service for GSM subscribers in April 2013.
“The MNP enables consumers to switch networks without losing their cellular phone numbers.”
A consortium of three companies, Interconnect Limited, Saab Grinteck and Telecordia, had got licences earlier in January 2012 to facilitate the service as the Number Portability Clearing House for the industry.
According to the NCC, the MNP is a service that ensures a subscriber retains their mobile phone number when changing from one mobile service provider to another. It added that it is available to all GSM mobile subscribers.
It said Singapore was the first country to implement the MNP in 1997, and at present, over 73 countries allow the MNP.
Since MNP works on the Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number and not the International Subscriber Mobile Identity, it affects all MSISDN-based services like SMS, MMS, voice calls, and other prepaid services.
According to the commission, while subscribers can port from one network to another, there is a 45 days-imposed restriction time within porting.
Although porting activities were on the ascendency in 2020, the Federal Government banned the sales of new SIMs and other related activities due to SIM-NIN linkage in December 2020, leading to a drop in the number of porting activities in the industry.
In the three years before the SIN-NIN linkage exercise, the number of subscribers that ported or changed their telecoms service providers was 86,978 in 2018, 139,022 in 2019, and 182,958 in 2020
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