Mobile phone portability: A freedom to choose, the Ghanaian mobile community must reject

July 1 2011 now has another reason to be celebrated as a day of final celebration from the serfdom of rulers, when as true REPUBLICANS, we affirm our belief in OBIARA YE OBIARA and we are all well and truly equal before MAN & GOD.

For those still wondering what I am on about, July 1 2011 was the day when MOBILE PHONE PORTABILITY formally arrived in Ghana(unless that is, like its twin sibling, SIM REGISTRATION, its debut has also been put back by another 3 months).

As is so typical of how we do things here, the phrase, MOBILE PORTABILITY, has been on the lips of the politicians and social commentators for many months (possibly years now) but as usual, very few of the punters, let alone we the teeming masses of potential beneficiaries, understand why mobile portability means, let alone know why we should walk down this digital road to the new Damascus and the opportunities of the burgeoning GLOBAL village.

I have taken the trouble to find out a little, so indulge me and let me share the basics with you before I try to convince you as to why you should hold on to your current arrangements instead of falling for the melodious tunes of the new "connection men" (the network providers aka if you like the tune you are about to hear, press****), whilst conveniently forgetting to tell you how much they are fleecing you.

What is mobile phone number portability?

Mobile phone number portability (MNP) allows you to keep your existing mobile number when switching to another mobile phone network. It provides you with the freedom to switch to another provider if you are unhappy with your existing network without the fear of losing your number.

Can I keep my existing mobile number if I decide to move to another network?

Yes, you can use your existing number with a new network.  This is done by ‘porting' your mobile phone number and the new provider will need to port your mobile number from your current service provider before you cancel your contract with them.

THE SUPPOSED ADVANTAGES AND BENEFITS OF PORTABILITY

Government ( I mean both old and new and before all that) has been pushing this portability thing as another fantastic avenue for CONSUMER CHOICE  AND PROMOTING BETTER QUALITY  OF SERVICE.  The argument is simple, If your network is giving you a bad service and/or charging too much  or not offering enough freebies, WHY, simply shop around  and go to another network which is offering better.

Now here comes the "JAARA"Page | 2 Unlike the past where you would have bought a new SIM with a new number from your new preferred network, under the WONDER WORLD OF MOBILE PORTABILITY,  you don't even have to change your number and spend endless hours and units  telling your WHOLE PHONE BOOK DIRECTORY  about it.  PRESTO, SIMPLY tell your new preferred network THAT YOU WANT TO COME TO THEM, AND presto, IT IS DONE, ALMOST IINSTANTANEOUSLY, AT NO COST TO YOU, AND WITH A LOT OF SWEET ENTICERS THROWN IN.

"WO MPE WEI NA WO PE DEEN?"  So it is that all of our GSM NETWORKS are now falling over themselves to get us to see the delights and the uncountable benefits of PORTING  to them. As we would expect, each is offering to take us to new heights and "BOLDLY GO WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE" ( you have to be of my generation and /or a TREKKIE to get this one).  Naturally and ever the generous folks, they are offering to pay for you to go to them (IS TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL looking?), They are doing everything possible to woo us to their BOUDOURS.

SO WHAT IS THE CATCH?

What the networks are not telling us is that, ONCE WE ARE LURED INTO THEIR LAIRS, WE ARE TRAPPED, getting out is almost impossible . If  we do realise or simply decide to change our mind, the cost will be so prohibitive that we will either be forced to stay or be forced to give our revered number and take up a BRAND NEW NUMBER on their former network or a completely new one;

Please beware before you rush and PORT your number and service onto another network. Ask yourself a few questions first. 1. WHY DO I HAVE MORE THAN ONE MOBILE PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER?  2. FOR HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN ABLE TO SAY I AM PLEASED WITH THE SERVICE BEING PROVIDED TO ME BY A NETWORK?  3. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS I HAVE HAD BECAUSE OF BEING ABLE TO SWITCH SERVICES BETWEN NETWORKS IN RESPONSE TO VARIOUS TARIFF PROMOTIONS? 4. CAN I KEEP THE FLEXIBILITY AND CHOICE I HAVE PRESENTLY IF I PORT MY PHONE NUMBERS AND SERVICE TO A SINGLE SERVICE PROVIDER?

If like me, you have several services because you are STILL SEARCHING FOR THE ONE SERVICE PROVIDER that will give you 1) HIGH QUALITY OF SERVICE; 2) DEPENDABLE AND DURABLE CONNECTIVITY, AND 3) GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY on  a continuous and reliable basis, then I can tell you that you have no reason to change nor believe that PORTABILITY at this time will be the answer to your mobile service prayers.

Until some of the networks improve their service to the levels that they give elsewhere which gives consumers there the confidence and comfort not to have more than one service provider at a time, PORTABILITY will only serve to add to the woes of the long suffering Ghanaian mobile phone user who has taken to the new fangled technology like the proverbial duck to water.

And ironically, who do you think can make things better for us and see PORTABILITY becoming our icing on the cake? Well, well, well, it is none other than the ubiquitous NATIONAL COMMUNIATIONS AUTHORITY.  You see if the NCA can force and insist that the operators here give us the type of service they are forced to provide in the WESTERN WORLD (after all , our providers are all extensions of well established foreign operators),  and we the punters become assured that the days of very bad and consistently poor service by all of our operators are well and truly over, we will jump into  THE PORTABILITY BED quicker than a post-congress FONKAR &GAME.

Before all of that, please Harunna and  TOTOBI (AUTHOR OF MY FAMOUS NICKNAME), GET THE WHIP OUT ON THE OPERATORS TO BE UP AND DOING. After all the equipment they are using came from the same HUAWEI  factories in China as the ones serving LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK, DELHI, DUBAI and JOBURG .

Ok, before you say TAZAN is getting his " TOO KNOWN ASEM" into matters outside of his realm, please be advised that |I have been a player in Ghana's Telecom Industry for 25 years now and counting.

SO LET US, AS TRUE REPUBLICANS, WELCOME MOBILE PORTING INTO OUR MIDST, BUT FOR THE MOMENT LET US BE REMINDED OF THE ROMANS BEARING THE TROJAN HORSE, AND SAY THROUGH OUR SPEAKER PHONE "" THANKS BUT NO THANKS FOR NOW""

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