MIGRATE-RETAIN YOUR NUMBER

Mobile phone users will be able to migrate from one network to the next without changing their numbers from July, the industry regulator said on Friday.

Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) said that the switch, known as mobile number portability, would improve consumer choice and drive down prices.

CCK came up with plans to usher in mobile portability three years ago though since then, users have been waiting to be let loose from their current networks.

Reluctance by consumers to change their numbers also kept them confined to their first service provider.

CCK director-general Charles Njoroge said that the number portability operator is putting up structures to be ready by mid year.

He said that a mobile phone user would only need to inform the company which network they want to switch to a given day and change whenever they want to.

“Therefore from July networks will cease to be identified by their prefixes (numbers) and business will depend on which firm offers the best service,” Mr Njoroge told Saturday Nation on the sidelines of workshop in Nairobi on Friday.

He said that mobile phone users would pay what he called small administrative fee.

“But as communications regulator, we will ensure consumers are not overcharged,” said Mr Njoroge.

Further, CCK launched network cost study to look into price of wholesale and retail mobile voice call terminations. The mobile call termination rate is the fee charged to connect calls made from other fixed or mobile grids.

Mobile termination rates were set at Sh6.28 a minute in 2007 based on findings of a telecommunications market study done in 2006, and have had a downward trend since then.

However, considering the change in mobile glide path CCK has commenced a review of the network cost and would later issue new interconnection tariffs that are consistent with the market.

Not be included

The two-month study would be done by Analysys Mason, a global telecoms, technology and media consultant.

The four mobile service providers — Zain, Safaricom, Orange and Yu — are required to supply requested data to Analysys Mason by May 7, 2010.

“Data received after this date will not be included,” said Analysys Mason consulting division manager Omar Bouhali. “Missing data points will be replaced by extrapolations from other data and international benchmarks.”

Final report for the $700,000 (Sh54 million) study would be out on June 18, this year.