Telcoms warned as number portability service begins

BETRAM LENGAMA

Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, Prof Makame Mbarawa

THE Minister for Works, Transport and Communication, Makame Mbarawa, has warned mobile phone firms not to harass their customers who opt to shift to another firm after the beginning of the mobile number portability (MNP) yesterday.

The Minister issued the warning yesterday in Dar es Salaam in his speech during the official launch of the use of Mobile Portability (MNP) service which allows customers to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network carrier to another.

Prof Mbarawa said that any firm which would go against their warning will be punished accordingly for going against regulations set to ensure MNP service is implemented smoothly without any disruption.

However the minister urged mobile phone service providers' firms to take the MNP service as a challenge to improve their service and ensure they provide best services for their customers. “The launch of MNP will stimulate competition for better services to mobile phone service providers.

That is good thing for the technology but the best thing is that customers who will prefer to move from one firm to another will not pay for the service,” added Minister Mbarawa. He also advised mobile phone service provider firms to ensure they abide with the approved service levy agreement when facilitating the MNP service as the aim of the government is to ensure people get quality and affordable communications services.

He as well requested people to utilise the service for development purpose and not otherwise.

Tanzania is the second nation in East Africa to utilise MNP service joining other eight African states Kenya , Sudan, South Africa, Egypt,Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Morocco in the use of MNP service technology.

Early the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), Engineer James Kilaba said before going into implementation of the MNP service, TCRA involved all communication stakeholders from the beginning of the process of implementing the technology so as to ensure smooth transition and implementation of the service.

Eng Kilaba said a mobile phone customer can move from one firm to another after filling a form showing his /her desire to transfer from one firm to another where the new firm will allow his/ her move after scrutinising his /her details from former firm and later provide him with a new simcard.

The customer for those utilising the mobile money transfer and Simbanking will also be required to contact their banks so their simcards can be activated once again for the service and also are advised to withdraw their money in their phones accounts to avoid inconvenience. After successful registration to a new firm, callers of the number will be informed by a double beep signal which will inform the caller that the number he/she is calling has shifted to another firm and there will be excess charges to pay on the call.

The TCRA Board Chairman Dr Jones Kilembe said the introduction of the MNP service in the country brings freedom of choice to mobile phone users in the country and people should be given knowledge on the benefit of the service.

Speaking in the brief launching occasion as one of the stakeholders, Vodacom Tanzania Legal Affairs department Director, Nina Pendaeli commended the government move to launch the MNP service in the country saying the introduction of the technology aims at modernising the mobile phone communication sector and great move by TCRA

She said on their side they see the move as a challenge to mobile phone service providers firms to ensure they provide the best services to their customers and as the leading country’s mobile firm they ensure all their customers that they will maintain their best services to them all.