NCC sees December launch for MNP

The long-delayed introduction of mobile number portability (MNP) in Nigeria is now expected to take place in December this year, Tony Ojobo, the director of public affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has told local newspaper The Punch. The NCC has been waiting for the conclusion of SIM registration in the country before it officially launches MNP, which enables a subscriber to retain their mobile phone number if they switch provider. As previously reported by CommsUpdate, the regulator announced in October 2011 that it had selected a consortium of three companies – Interconnect Clearinghouse Nigeria, Saab Grintek and Telcordia – to implement number portability for the first five years. Earlier this year Dr. Eugene Juwah, the executive vice chairman of the NCC, said the consortium would be responsible for the setting up and implementation of the NP platform within six months of receiving its licence in March 2012, to be followed by a testing period of two months. The introduction of MNP was first considered by the commission in the third quarter of 2007.