Namibia is yet to implement telecommunications number portability two years after publishing the regulations.
Number portability enables telephone users to retain their telephone numbers when changing from one network carrier to another irrespective of geographical area.
Emilia Nghikembua, the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) Chief Executive Officer, said the implementation of number portability in Namibia has been placed on hold, pending the finalisation of the implementation plan and readiness matrix.
“The delay pertains to the finalisation of some of the action items contained in the implementation plan and readiness matrix in respect of some operators. The timeline will be determined once all the steps in the implementation plan and readiness matrix are finalised,” Nghikembua told The Brief.
She, however, said number portability when finally implemented will be applicable for both mobile and landlines.
“Yes, Number Portability will allow fixed and mobile numbers to move from one licensee to another without losing their number,” the CRAN CEO said.
“Number Portability will be applicable to all telecommunications service licensees that hold number licences.”
Nghikembua noted that no decision has been made to date on any porting fees that may be applicable should subscribers migrate to a new network.
“The contract customer will need to settle all outstanding fees in respect of contract termination with his/her current service provider prior to porting to another network operator,” she said.
Although in some jurisdictions number portability is being hampered by legal battles as some companies take exception to the regulations, CRAN said all Namibian “operators have shown their willingness and support to implement number portability, pending the finalisation of all action items in the implementation plan.”
The implementation of number portability is an essential element for market liberalisation and providing the consumer with the right to retain his or her number when changing service providers, said Nghikembua.
“CRAN will therefore enforce the numbering regulations. This will be supplemented by the implementation and enforcement of the Competition Regulations and wider use of Infrastructure Sharing by licensees.
“Number Portability will create competition by levelling the playing field between operators. It will force licensees to compete on quality of service to retain their customers. Like an individual’s bank account, it is equally important for consumers to retain their mobile identity i.e. number in a digital economy, irrespective of which service provider they use,” she added.
