Gov’t discards Mobile number portability project

Nine years after Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority ( BOCRA) mooted plans to introduce mobile number portability ( MNP), government has dismissed the initiative.

The Minister of Transport and Communications, Thulagano Segokgo recently told parliament that the country’s telecommunications industry should look for alternatives to MNP. “We had intended to implement mobile number portability in the financial year 2020/ 2021. However, an operator network readiness assessment study was done, and it established that it will not be feasible to implement MNP,” said Segokgo.

He encouraged investigation on other alternatives to MNP which include the promotion of over- the- top services and other disruptive technologies. MNP enables mobile telephone users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network carrier to another. In 2012, Botswana Telecommunications Authority, before transforming to BOCRA had highlighted that enabling mobile telephone users to retain mobile telephone numbers on switching from one mobile network operator to another will enhance competitiveness in the market.

BTA had highlighted that making MNP mandatory would see Botswana join the league of South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana. Adams Smith International, the UK based advisory for BTA had cited that introducing MNP would reduce multiple subscriptions and enhancing competitiveness is not the immediate option. “Overall our recommendations are that the BTA should not introduce a requirement for mobile number portability at present, but seek to introduce lower off peak termination rates, which will create possibilities for lower off- net retail charges at off- peak times,” John Horrocks of Adams Smith International. Though authorities have turned down the initiative, Botswana’s soaring proportion of subscribers with multiple subscriptions was highly anticipated to buy in the MNP project.