March 29, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 9, 1428

KARACHI, March 28: The commercial launch of mobile number portability (MNP) from March 26 received a cool response from the customers as the providers have not received many request for the change of cellphone company over the last three days.

Cellphone operators said they received hardly 200-250 port-in and port- out requests on the first day of the launch from over 50 million cell phone users of various companies all over the country.

In the first three days there were 1,000-1,500 port-in and port-out requests received by the market players like Mobilink (over 24 million cell phone users), Ufone (11 million users), Warid (seven million), Telenor (eight million), Paktel (one million) and Instaphone (200,000 users).

Cellphone operators think that the customers are still unaware of the MNP facility and the number of port-in and port-out requests will be more visible in days to come. In a stiff competition as predicted by the operators in days to come only those companies will be able to attract customers which will offer quality service.

MNP offers mobile customers the ability to move from their current network operator to another operator and still keep their complete mobile number, including the 4-digit code.

A customer needs to present a completed application form, a written request on company’s letterhead (for corporate customers), CNIC copy and the actual SIM. It takes approximately four working days to port a number, provided there are no obligations/liabilities on the existing cellular network.

However, market reports suggest that one of the leading players in Pakistan market is reportedly losing its customers and the new comers in cell phone service have been so far and will be the beneficiary of MNP.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mobilink Zouhair Khaliq said that the company received 200-250 port-in and port-out requests in the last three days. However, he did not disclose the exact number of gainers and losers under MNP by the company.

Asked to comment on market reports that the Mobilink will lose its customers in larger numbers, he ruled out the possibility of such a deal and said that the MNP is in very early stage. “We have no fear of losing customers as our service is far better than our competitors,” he added.

To another query that MNP had not been launched so far in India, China and other regional countries, he said Pakistan had been the first to introduce it in the region and every player has invested $10-20 million for its implementation.

However, he was of the view that MNP had been kicked off in Pakistan too early because this was part of the telecom policy of 2004.

“MNP requires a mature market and every player has almost same number of subscribers and equal networking. Currently, Pakistani market still requires time to reach maturation,” he said adding that penetration of mobile phone users in terms of population is still 30 per cent and hence there is a big variation in number of subscribers as per companies.

A senior executive in Ufone, who asked not to be named, told Dawn that the company received 240 requests of port-in and 80 port-out on Monday while customers made 80 and 22 requests on Tuesday. He said that low turnout of port-in and port-out requests can be attributed to unawareness of MNP among the customers.

Telenor Pakistan on Wednesday announced that the company was the first in the industry to have a customer ported in from Mobilink as a result of MNP.

CEO Telenor Pakistan Tore Johnsen said MNP was significant because it made it possible for the customers to change operators without changing their mobile numbers.

Telenor said that Arshad Siddiqi, CEO Pakistan MNP Database (Guarantee) Limited, also confirmed that the first number ported as a result of MNP is to Telenor Pakistan.

Pakistan MNP Database (Guarantee) Limited (PMD) is the body set up by the local telecom regulator, Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), with the specific purpose of facilitating the implementation of MNP.

One of the executives in Telenor, however, offered excuse for giving the exact number of port-in and port-out requests in the last three days of MNP operation, saying PMD can give the real situation.

When contacted by Dawn Arshad Siddiqui simply said that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority was the right body to tell the actual figure of change of phone service by the customers.

However, he claimed that the customers’ response was good. The real impact of the MNP in terms of losers and gainers of customers will be ascertained after two to four weeks as four days procedure is required by the customers to port-in and port-out.

A senior official in Warid Telecom also did not give the last three days response of port-in and port-out requests of customers under MNP, saying PMD can provide the update.