Safaricom Confirms Tests With ‘One operator” and Welcomes Number Portability

Safaricom is not going to fight the number portability it seems. The company is being seen as the potential biggest looser when the number portability will start being implemented. Through a press release, the company has welcomed mobile number portability and expressed its readiness to roll out the system ahead of the April 1 deadline.

“We have aligned all the critical systems and are ready to implement the protocol from the April 1 date as set by the regulator Communications Commission of Kenya. We hope other operators are equally prepared. We are alive to the fact that MNP can only work in an environment where all operators are ready,” said Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore.

Orange has previously said that there hasn’t been much of cross operator tests to check the viability of the porting systems. Safaricom say that they have done the inter-operator tests with “one of the operators”.  And had shown a “system that works” .

Safaricom believes that many subscribers will migrate to its network because of the various “unique products” it has on offer.

Mobile Number Portability will commence on April 1 (yes fools day) and it will allow subscribers to migrate across networks while retaining their original number. Porting (migrating) subscribers are expected to pay a fee of Sh200 to Porting Access, the company appointed to administer the porting process.