Switching: Cell users must wait
For the third time in less than a year, Vodacom, MTN and Cell C have yet again requested telecoms regulator Icasa to grant them an indefinite extension to the deadline by which they would to sort out the pertinent issues required to adopt MNP.
The adoption of MNP will enable greater competition in the cell phone industry as it will enable subscribers to switch service providers – say from MTN to Cell C – without losing their existing mobile numbers.
Icasa senior manager in charge of policy analysis and regulation Nomvuyiso Batyi confirmed to Fin 24 that the trio claim that they underestimated the inter operability test period and as such have requested the regulator to indefinitely postpone the MNP launch date.
"This request has taken us by surprise because the impression we got from the operators was that they had done their groundwork in preparation for the launch," said Batyi.
Penalties
Initially the operators were to have adopted MNP in December last year. On failure to comply with Icasa’s order the operators were granted a temporary six months reprieve on condition that they implement MNP in June 2006.
Citing complexities around stabling a company that would own and run a centralised reference number portability database, the operators requested Icasa to extend their deadline by another four months to mid-September.
On whether Icasa will penalise the trio for their latest antic, Batyi would only say that the trio had been summoned to appear before a select Icasa committee on the 18th of September.
"I can’t say for now because that will depend on their argument. But honestly operators should not be seen to be taking consumers for granted."
Both Vodacom and MTN’s representatives on the MNP forum-a committee set up by the three operators to steer MNP initiatives-Hope Mortimer and Elize van der Walt declined to comment on the matter while Cell’s representative, Mike Falconer was unreachable.
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