Number portability imminent in SA

T: MINUS 16 DAYS

Paperwork completed: Check
Foot poised to give Vodacom the boot: Check

Status: Good to go!
 
Just another money making opportunity for the networks. You got to pay termination fees if you are on contract and then will likely have to pay the normal regustration and SIm card charges on the new network. And when you find the new network to be worse than your current one, you cannot switch to another network for the next 60 days. I reckon I'll just stick to what I know - better the devil.......

And the cost of calls can no longer be determined - it's gonna cost you more cos you no longer know which network you are dialling (other than Telkom of course). Current tarriff structures make allowance for cheaper calls to users on the same network - wonder what will happen with MNP. You just dial the number and pay what you get billed (depending on which network your call terminates on) :eek:
 
Last edited:
well, considering everyone just managed to test receiever and sender messages before the 1st, it means all 11 service providers have 18 days to make sure their system works end to end, here comes the bugs!
 
3g_rox said:
Just another money making opportunity for the networks. You got to pay termination fees if you are on contract and then will likely have to pay the normal regustration and SIm card charges on the new network. And when you find the new network to be worse than your current one, you cannot switch to another network for the next 60 days. I reckon I'll just stick to what I know - better the devil.......
Click to expand...
Well there are some good reasons to use NMP apart from pricing...
I'm definetly going to port away from Vodacom - because in my area their signal is terrible... call quality is worse than a CB radio (a bad CB radio at that) :(

3g_rox said:
And the cost of calls can no longer be determined - it's gonna cost you more cos you no longer know which network you are dialling
Click to expand...
I think the networks will have a hard enough time figuring it out for themselves.. :rolleyes:

Perhaps we could have a poll to see how many people are planning to port... and which network they're porting away from?
 
Last edited:
Mnp

redarrow said:
Well there are some good reasons to use NMP apart from pricing...
I'm definetly going to port away from Vodacom - because in my area their signal is terrible... call quality is worse than a CB radio (a bad CB radio at that) :(


I think the networks will have a hard enough time figuring it out for themselves.. :rolleyes:

Perhaps we could have a poll to see how many people are planning to port... and which network they're porting away from?
Click to expand...

Apparently there will be notification that you are now calling another network
 
wahahahah @ imminent!

*edit* Ahh I see, 18september. The first 'imminent' healine that actually suits its name ;)

Im very keen however to try out Virgin Mobile. Can always change back to vodacom if im unhappy, which I think is fantastic that they do.
Surprisingly however, is that they arnt charging customers for changing their number. Or are they... Hmm
 
Last edited:
I won't be supprised if its delayed again.
 
3g_rox said:
Just another money making opportunity for the networks. You got to pay termination fees if you are on contract and then will likely have to pay the normal regustration and SIm card charges on the new network.

And the cost of calls can no longer be determined - it's gonna cost you more cos you no longer know which network you are dialling
Click to expand...
If you're on contract you have to wait or pay a termination fee.

The providers might want to update their billing to show which network was actually called, if they don't already. How does it cost more? Do you decide not to call people because they're on the 'wrong' network?

Number portability has been available for years overseas. It's hardly some nefarious plan hatched by South African cellphone companies. It just means that when you contract comes to an end you now have the choice to move to any company you choose without the hassle of changing your number.
 
Guys the type of problems experianced, were unexpected and we were not given enough time to research the technology being used cos of ICASA's deadline.

eg. SOAP was used as a communication means, the reason why soap was used is cos it can communicate across platforms (ie. java,.net,linux,windows) , it seems microsoft didnt know they created soap for the purpose of interoperability.

it so happens that everyone implementing their MNP (mobile number portability) system in .net could not communicate with java clients, .net could not understand the raw bytes (since packet sniffers saw the data coming in correctly).

stuff like this causes delays leaving less time for testing, so dont blindly blame the operators and sp's, **** happens.
 
switching to Virgin, no worrying above damned cross network rates, the one rate system is ideal and perhaps the other guys wake up as it is totally stooopid for them to bill different network rates when Virgin can do a single rate.

D
 
damian24 said:
switching to Virgin, no worrying above damned cross network rates, the one rate system is ideal and perhaps the other guys wake up as it is totally stooopid for them to bill different network rates when Virgin can do a single rate.

D
Click to expand...

It's easy -> They take the most expensive one and just make it that for all calls.

Virgin is not all peaches though, they have different SMS rates. :(
 
nah-ah, the 100 buck a month thing on virgin, is actually cheaper during peak than the MTN mycall 100 (I want cheaper peak, not lotsa free off-peak) for Vodacom and cellC and only slightly more than MTN-MTN.

plus the airtime rolls over... at .60/sms it's cheaper than MTN mycall.

you're right it's not all good at the first five min are quite dear, but by my reckoning I still save money as i never use the off-peak minutes and allways get an extra 100 or so bucks on my bill because of the 15 min peak!.

guess the good/bad decsion depends on your call habits, virgin is def not for someone that makes a zillion calls over the weekend!

D
 
Woohooo! My contract expires end of Oct.
Great to have options.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X