Mobile operators are today expected to motivate to the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) for a delay in the implementation of mobile number portability (MNP), says an ICASA spokesman.
MNP was set to go live on 18 September; however, earlier this week, the inter-operator MNP working group submitted a letter requesting a postponement.
"The decision on whether to grant the working group a postponement will be made after the meeting," says Edmund Baloyi, advisor to ICASA chairman Paris Mashile.
Mike Falconer, the Cell C representative on the inter-operator MNP group, could not comment on the group`s request for postponement, including why postponement was requested. An announcement regarding the issue will be made next week, he says.
Not keen on MNP
Communications Users Association of SA (CUASA) spokesman Ray Webber says while it appears mobile networks asked for a postponement due to technical problems, it`s no secret that Vodacom and MTN are not keen to implement MNP.
"The request for a postponement could be yet another successful attempt of theirs to drag their heels on this matter," he says.
World Wide Worx directors Arthur Goldstuck and Steven Ambrose agree: "The operators are happy with the way things are and don`t want to move into a situation where customers can choose to port if they are unhappy with services offered," says Ambrose.
"Delays in implementation are not good for anyone - not the general ICT sector, in terms of improved competition, not consumers and not even the operators themselves," Ambrose adds.
Penalties needed
Research has shown that adoption of MNP is low in countries where there were delays in implementation, Ambrose says.
Webber, Goldstuck and Ambrose say ICASA should show some teeth and impose financial penalties on the mobile operators in response to the delays in implementing MNP.
This third delay highlights the lack of power ICASA has to regulate the South African telecommunications industry, Webber says.
He notes that while it may be impossible to impose a financial penalty in this specific instance, CUASA urges ICASA to ensure such clauses are included in the conditions when the next date is set.
MNP implementation has been most effective in countries where the regulator has imposed fines on operators for failure to implement MNP as scheduled, Goldstuck and Ambrose say.
"We sincerely hope that this will be the last delay, and we are concerned that no new date appears to have been set yet," Webber says.
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