The Nigerian Communications
Commission has named some three companies, Interconnect, Saab Grintek,
Telecordia as the consortium for the implementation of its proposed Number
Portability (NP).
Head, Media & Public
Relations, Mr. Reuben Muoka, confirmed this on Sunday, said that the
appointment of a consortium of three companies would implement the proposed
Number Portability services in the country.
He said, Number Portability would
allow phone users to move from one network to another without losing their
numbers.
The trio of Interconnect, Saab
Grintek, Telecordia, he said, were the Commission’s preferred vendor for the
service after the technical, financial and demo presentations by the bidding
vendors were evaluated.
According to Muoka, the
consortium would be responsible for the set up and implementation of Number
Portability Clearing House in the country, and provide mobile number
portability solution administration in nation within six months of receiving
the license with a testing period of two months.
He explained that members of the
consortium are to execute a tripartite agreement that would indicate their
specific responsibilities in the process with the regulator approving such
agreement to tally with the conditions of the provision of the service in the
country.
He also said, NCC had mandated
the consortium to ensure that local content participation and adequate skills
transfer are entrenched in the process during the implementation of the
five-year license.
Just as the consortium would be
expected to configure the technical solution for number portability in Nigeria
line with the consultation documents as earlier published by the Commission,
and the solution is to be customized to meet the specific process needs, as
well as other requirements of the Nigerian network operators.
He recalled that NCC had earlier
indicated that the Number Portability programme would be the next logical step
following the SIM Card registration exercise as it is necessary to know the
identity of subscribers who are porting their numbers at different times from one
network to another.
“Number portability will allow
subscribers to move to alternate networks when they are no longer enjoying the
quality of services being obtained from their current operators, or when they
are no longer happy with the tariffs offered by their current subscribers as
they will still retain their original numbers irrespective of the new network
from which they may be obtaining their services,” he said.
Remmy Nweke
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
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