The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has tasked a consortium, comprising Interconnect, Saab Grintek and Telecordia, with the handling of the country's number portability project.
A statement issued by Reuben Muoka, the NCC's head of media and publicity, said the project, expected to start in the first quarter of 2012, will be completed within six months.
He assured Nigerian telephone subscribers that the project would enable them to move from one network to another, without losing their contact numbers.
Number portability allows subscribers to move to alternate networks when they no longer enjoy quality of service from their current operators, or when they are no longer happy with the tariffs offered by the operators, and still retain their original numbers, irrespective of the new network they move to.
The Commission said the consortium would be responsible for the set up and implementation of a number portability clearing house in the country.
“The companies will provide mobile number portability solution administration in Nigeria within six months of receiving the licence, with a testing period of two months,” the statement added.
Reacting to the development, Mohammed Gambo, chairman of the Nigeria Mobile Phone Users Network, said the project was overdue in the country.
“Nigerians have waited long enough to have this service, and it is our hope and desire that the era of Nigerians carrying five mobile phones will soon be over,” Gambo said.
It is common to see Nigerians carrying between two to four mobile phones, representing the various networks in the country.
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