Sustained poor telecommunications services by some of Zambia's mobile operators have forced the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) to start pushing for number portability to allow customers to migrate to operators with better networks and services, without having to change their numbers.
ZICTA, the country's telecoms sector regulator, claims there has been continued provision of poor telecommunications services by some of Zambia's mobile operators, which include MTN Zambia, a subsidiary of SA's MTN, and India's Bharti Airtel Zambia.
ZICTA DG Margaret Mudenda said customers should not be forced to stay with operators that provide poor services for fear of losing their mobile numbers and contacts. Number portability is a telecommunications service that enables customers to retain their numbers when they decide to change networks.
“Number portability will allow customers to move to a reliable network without having to lose their mobile numbers. We are, therefore, carrying out research in other countries to see how it is working, and thereafter we can implement it,” Mudenda said on Monday.
Over the past week, customers on Airtel Zambia's network staged a nationwide boycott to protest against the company's poor services. They refused to make calls via the Airtel network, and demanded that Airtel improve its services or they would continue with the boycott until their demands are met.
Two months ago, ZICTA said Airtel had received the most complaints about poor service for the period January to August 2011. ZICTA PR manager Ngabo Nankonde said the Authority received complaints regarding poor communication services, overcharging of Internet service bundles, as well as poor quality of Internet services. Airtel is also the only service provider in Zambia that charges its customers for missed calls.
Of a total 149 complaints received by ZICTA, 68 related to Airtel services, 40 to Zamtel and 25 to MTN.
However, the situation has deteriorated since August with customers failing to reload their phones with airtime and cross-network calls dropping most of the time.
Interestingly, Airtel has partnered with ZICTA in the Universal Access Project that will see the construction of 350 sharable towers in a bid to accelerate the rollout of mobile and Internet services in the country by the regulator.
But with the sustained poor services by the company and the move by ZICTA to introduce number portability, it is expected that many of the company's more than four million subscribers will leave the network.
Airtel is the country's largest network, followed by MTN Zambia, with slightly more than two million customers.
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