[kictanet] CCK cuts number portability fee for mobile user

Wed May 19 20:36:34 EAT 2010

Dear all,

and this is where actually the strategic importance of MNP lies. The
strategy of charging higher tariffs to other networks and lower charges
within its own network which benefits the market leader will come to its end
/ or at least be weakened (since the calling party doesnt know anymore
whether it is an on-net or offnet call!)

Gerhard May

On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 3:22 PM, Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Andrea, my bad,
>
> as a teacher, i always assume maximum ignorance from the enquirer...but not
> to worry, just ignore the lesson 101...
>
>
> walu.
>
> --- On *Wed, 5/19/10, Andrea Bohnstedt <
> andrea.bohnstedt at ratio-magazine.com>* wrote:
>
>
> From: Andrea Bohnstedt <andrea.bohnstedt at ratio-magazine.com>
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] CCK cuts number portability fee for mobile user
> To: "Walubengo J" <jwalu at yahoo.com>
>
> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 4:06 PM
>
>
> That's not what I meant. Of course I know which network *I* am on - I may
> be dopey at times, but not that out of my mind that I don't remember which
> network I'm on. But if there's no longer any certainty that 072... is
> Safcom, and 073... is Zain, then I don't know whether I'm calling someone on
> the same network (cheaper) or someone on another network (more expensive).
> And no, even if tariffs come down, they won't be the same - makes no sense
> because there's the interconnect charge.
>
> On 19 May 2010 14:54, Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com<http://mc/compose?to=jwalu@yahoo.com>
> > wrote:
>
>> @Andrea,
>>
>> the way i understand number portability (and i wish the guys in the
>> industry/regulation could confirm) is that me as a Safcom subscriber, would
>> approach Zain and tell them I am tired of the high costs and want to shift.
>>
>> Zain would then record my Safcom number and do some Backoffice operations
>> with Safcom/Regulator which will conclude with them signing me up as their
>> (Zain) customer WITHOUT me changing from my Safaricom (072xxxx) number to
>> their Zain number. As a customer I wont have to worry about these back
>> office technical and administrative exchanges.
>>
>> What matters is that from that point going forward, I will be a Zain
>> customer without losing my number and by extension, I avoid the need to
>> inform my 1,000+ contacts of my new number - which according to theory is
>> one the key barriers to customer migration. So to answer your question -
>> will you know which network you are on? -yes, because you will be legally
>> and businesswise a Zain customer.  And so Zain Intra and Extra-network calls
>> tariffs will apply -both of which have come down anyway :-(, someone from
>> Zain needs to pay me for this free marketing.
>>
>> The only problem ofcourse will be what happens to your M-Pesa, M-Kesho and
>> M-Whatever comes up from the endless innovation of Safaricom. If Number
>> portability is allowing you to migrate voice only, then its impact would be
>> quite minimal. Infact Safcom may harvest some customers instead?....Sam
>> Gatere has already  asked about this and hope someone gives us an answer.
>> ...
>>
>> walu.
>>
>>
>> --- On *Wed, 5/19/10, Andrea Bohnstedt <
>> andrea.bohnstedt at ratio-magazine.com<http://mc/compose?to=andrea.bohnstedt@ratio-magazine.com>
>> >* wrote:
>>
>>
>> From: Andrea Bohnstedt <andrea.bohnstedt at ratio-magazine.com<http://mc/compose?to=andrea.bohnstedt@ratio-magazine.com>
>> >
>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] CCK cuts number portability fee for mobile user
>> To: jwalu at yahoo.com <http://mc/compose?to=jwalu@yahoo.com>
>>
>> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke<http://mc/compose?to=kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>> >
>> Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 1:54 PM
>>
>>
>> Possibly a dumb question, but once we have number portability, I won't
>> know if I am making a call on the same network or not, right? So no way of
>> avoiding higher cross network charges?
>>
>> On 19 May 2010 07:46, muriuki mureithi <mureithi at summitstrategies.co.ke<http://mc/compose?to=mureithi@summitstrategies.co.ke>
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> Hi listers
>>> On the day MNP becomes operational,  the market dynamics for the growth
>>> sector will change,  Safaricom will focus on retaining their customers
>>> while the other competitors will exert their energies to entice customers
>>> out of    Safaricom. For the other operators,  its much cheaper to
>>> capture
>>> new customers from Safaricom  than make   huge investments to sensitise
>>> and
>>> educate new customers whose capacity to pay is increasingly  lower .
>>>  With
>>> energy focused inwards  , who will grow the market and increase the
>>> national
>>> penetration? Considering that the 60% of our  economy is based around
>>> Nairobi, it certainly will not make sense to focus on the rural areas
>>> where
>>> huge investments are required - instead just cannibalise the existing
>>> market
>>> and penalise the rural effort .
>>>
>>> CCK should consider  a package to go hand in hand with introduction of
>>> MNP
>>> to ensure that the market grows to bring on board the 50% who are not yet
>>> included in the mobile revolution..
>>>
>>> Cheers
>>> Muriuki Mureithi
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: kictanet-bounces+mureithi=summitstrategies.co.ke@
>>> lists.kictanet.or.ke
>>> [mailto:kictanet-bounces+mureithi<http://mc/compose?to=kictanet-bounces%2Bmureithi>
>>> =summitstrategies.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.k
>>> e] On Behalf Of alice at apc.org <http://mc/compose?to=alice@apc.org>
>>> Sent: 18 May 2010 15:20
>>> To: mureithi at summitstrategies.co.ke<http://mc/compose?to=mureithi@summitstrategies.co.ke>
>>> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
>>> Subject: [kictanet] CCK cuts number portability fee for mobile user
>>>
>>>  By Okuttah MarkPosted Tuesday, May 18 2010 at 00:00
>>>
>>> Mobile phone subscribers intending to switch their current operators but
>>> still retain their number will only pay a one off fee of Sh200 and not
>>> Sh1,000 as had earlier been proposed, the industry regulator has said.The
>>> Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) had earlier, when seeking
>>> comments
>>> from the telecommunication operators, proposed Sh1,000 and an extra two
>>> shillings on top of the current tariffs, a fee that industry experts and
>>> telecommunication operators warned could inhibit the uptake of the
>>> service.CCK said number portability would make it easier for subscribers
>>> to
>>> retain their numCCK cuts number portability fee for mobile usersbers
>>> whenever they decide to change service providers and also enhance
>>> competition in the sector.On Friday, CCK said it had settled for a one
>>> off
>>> fee of Sh199.80, the winning bidder (Porting Access BV Netherlands) had
>>> quoted and that no other extra fee will be incurred by the subscribers
>>> apart
>>> from the prevailing tariffs charged by the operator at the time of
>>> switching
>>> over.Mobile subscribers are expected to start utilising the service
>>> before
>>> the end of the year."A one-time porting fee of Sh199.80 will be charged
>>> by
>>> porting subscriber. If there are services a subscriber still wishes to
>>> enjoy
>>> then that's enough reason why he should not port out. But a subscriber
>>> can
>>> port back to his former network if attractive services are introduced ,"
>>> said Mr Mutua Muthusi, assistant director, public relations and
>>> communication."Porting service will only enable you to retain the number
>>> you
>>> were assigned by Network X while in Network Y. You will retain no
>>> relationship with your former provider if you decide to port out."Zain
>>> Kenya
>>> says other than the porting fees, there may still be other costs arising
>>> from interfacing the equipment of various operators with the data base
>>> manager, as it is not clear who will bear such costs or that of upgrades
>>> for
>>> interfacing with the database.Mr Rene Meza, the managing director of Zain
>>> Kenya, says the company has started positioning ahead of the
>>> implementation
>>> of the number portability service because it believes that customers will
>>> move to the operator that offers best value and that there are still
>>> issues
>>> to be sorted out such as interoperability of the money transfer
>>> systems."At
>>> present, the money systems of various operators are not fully integrated
>>> or
>>> interoperable. We believe it is just a matter of time before regulators,
>>> especially the Central Bank, begin to push for full integration and
>>> interoperability," said Mr Rene.Last Thursday, the operator reduced its
>>> calls to other networks to six shillings from Sh12 from 6pm to 6am and
>>> three
>>> shillings for calls made on its network.A subscriber switching or
>>> migrating
>>> from operator X to Y can only switch back to his previous operator after
>>> paying another similar porting amount.Once a subscriber has crossed over
>>> to
>>> another network, he cannot enjoy any of the services provided by the
>>> former
>>> operator.This means that if a subscriber switches from operator X to Y
>>> and
>>> is travelling abroad, the subscriber will be charged roaming charges by
>>> the
>>> operator he has migrated to and not what the former operator was
>>> charging.This also touches on customer care services or any complaint
>>> that
>>> the subscriber may want to raise about network quality or pricing.Porting
>>> Access BV Netherlands clinched the deal, beating Seven Seas Technologies
>>> (Kenya, Infozillion (K) Ltd, Pluton ICT Ltd (Kenya), Teletech from
>>> Slovenia,
>>> Saab Grintek Technologies (South Africa) and Systor Group of
>>> Companies.The
>>> implementation of mobile number portability is part of measures that the
>>> regulator has come up with to enhance competition in the sector.The
>>> sector
>>> has four mobile operators and close to 20 million subscribers, but 78 per
>>> cent is controlled by the leading mobile provider Safaricom.Analysts say
>>> attachment by many subscribers to their user numbers has prevented
>>> millions
>>> from changing service providers despite the marked differences in pricing
>>> and quality of service offered by the different players.Retain numberCCK
>>> says number portability should enhance competition and consumer
>>> convenience
>>> in the telecommunication sector by "enabling consumers to retain their
>>> user
>>> numbers whenever they decide to change service providers."That means
>>> subscribers do not have to invest in new SIM cards or carry a number of
>>> handsets to enjoy the services of other operators.It also enables
>>> consumers
>>> to make use of alternative networks in an area where one provider has no
>>> footprint or is experiencing a network problem.
>>>
>>> Source:
>>>
>>> http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Company%20Industry/CCK%20cuts%20number%20
>>>
>>> portability%20fee%20for%20mobile%20users/-/539550/920330/-/item/1/-/chb9i8z/
>>> -/index.html<http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Company%20Industry/CCK%20cuts%20number%20%0Aportability%20fee%20for%20mobile%20users/-/539550/920330/-/item/1/-/chb9i8z/%0A-/index.html>
>>> Sent from my BlackBerryR smartphone from Zain Kenya
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Andrea Bohnstedt
>> Publisher
>> +254 720 960 322
>> www.ratio-magazine.com
>>
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>
>
> --
> Andrea Bohnstedt
> Publisher
> +254 720 960 322
> www.ratio-magazine.com
>
>
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