oct 15 2006

mobile number portability

since early september i have been waiting to change my cellphone provider. i was going to wait just a few days because it was supposed to happen on the 18th september - cool, the day my contract expired! but the 18th passed and nothing happened! quite quietly the powers that be decided that it wouldn't happen on that day. i went to a few cellphone shops and no-one could give me a date.

i was assured that i wouldn't have to sign on for a new contract in the meantime. meaning that i would still be connected on my number at a normal contract rate until i signed up on another contract, either with the same provider (belch) or by using mnp and using a different provider...

so i have been waiting and it seems like i won't have to wait too much longer, because the 10th of november has been earmarked for this to actually start taking place, hopefully.

so what's the big deal with number portability? well, basically, i don't have much choice in what i have to pay on a monthly basis regarding the type of contract i want to sign up for at my current provider. i also don't have much choice on the phone that i get with said contract. plus, there's an awful lot of providers offering all sorts of 'freebies' (laptops, hi-fi systems etc) with their contracts that my current provider doesn't offer!

so, it seems like my provider doesn't have alot to offer me does it? that's what i thought and that's why i'm waiting for the mnp to kick in.

what i did discover throughout all of this was that if i am on a vodacom contract but with a preferred vodacom provider (like altech autopage), i couldn't move directly to vodacom. so it's not even about moving from mtn to cell c at all, it's simply about being able to move freely between any provider that is out there!

here's a pretty good faq on mobile number portability.

Posted by sarah | tech, information

comments

sarah | 2006-11-07 22:31:41
more on the mnp here and the good news is that none of the networks will be charging porting fees.
sarah | 2006-10-30 13:20:19
interesting jacques. virgin banking uses absa's backend and they are cheaper (although inconvenient - they have no internet banking facilities...). i'm just not convinced that virgin mobile is any good (price wise), to hear that they are piggy-backing on cell c doesn't make me wanna sign up with them either. about 2 months ago i went into a woolies and asked the sales person at the cellphone kiosk if she would reccommend signing up with virgin than any of the other providers and she said 'hell no! they're not the cheapest' (not her exact words)
sarah | 2006-10-26 16:47:45
i just found this article, rather bleak outlook...

"The major players are going to delay as long as they possibly can," says Voigt. "The moment customers can move between networks or service providers without changing their numbers there will be real competition in the market for the first time, and the networks are fighting hard to avoid any reduction in their margins."

Voigt says the major networks are manoeuvring hard behind the scenes to lock in their customers. "One of the networks has just changed the term of least-costing routing contracts from two years to three, and the service providers are being offered incentives not to churn numbers. They're doing everything they can to make sure the status quo remains."

we as consumers need to demand that the networks accept and start providing mobile number portability. the networks have already managed to delay it once (on 18th september). like the article says, when it does happen there will finally be real compeition between the networks.

big up to cell c for taking a 1st positive step!
sarah | 2006-10-24 11:42:34
that does sound rather extreme... especially to go from a pretty good network to a shoddy network (in my opinion)! it's amazing that cell c's advertising is so much better than vodacom's.

maybe when the 10th november finally arrives i'll try all the networks and decide on the best one from there...
coda | 2006-10-24 11:28:43
My sister is switching to Cell C just because of that stupid meerkat!
sarah | 2006-10-23 18:33:33
there is hardly anything that is more annoying than that meerkat. i can't watch the latest ad anymore and i've only seen it a few times!
tripeak | 2006-10-23 17:11:17
The only thing I don't like about VodaCom is the new mascot "Mo" the meerkat... it's a nice idea - but badly executed. They should have paid DreamWorks to do the character.
Chris M | 2006-10-20 14:13:44
Ye, I am also a faithful vodacom fan, have had pretty much zero problems since I have been using the network, and that is around 10years I think!
sarah | 2006-10-19 18:17:30
that's so funny, because i know warren would also stick with mtn! i have had this discussion with him before... in the same way, i stand by vodacom.
tripeak | 2006-10-19 15:12:38
Well - wak into any DION/ Game stores and you can pick up a Vodacom starter pack for under R10... and although it's not free - it is dirt cheap considering what it was only two years ago. Anyway - good luck with what ever you choose (Im happy with Vodacom and if you had to ask Warren... I guess he will say MTN) LOL
sarah | 2006-10-18 14:09:11
i'd like to stick with vodacom. i like the coverage that i've experienced with them. i know i'll keep the traditional 082 number - it's not about that...

my husband is with cell c and his calls get droppped often. i was with mtn when i first got a cellphone (on pre-paid, yuck) but i 'inherited' a vodacom contract many moons ago and i am happy. i'm not so sure about virgin - currently they don't have much to offer me.

so the queston is who will i go with? well, anyone who can offer me a killer deal and is on vodacom's network. it could be directly with vodacom or one of the many providers out there! i will take the best offer and i'm hoping that by the middle of november the competition between the networks is fierce and beneficial to me (and everyone else out there).

side note: yesterday my hubby was given a free vodacom start-up kit. a great way to get people to start using your network... when was the last time you got something for free - that was useful, wasn't a birthday / xmas present or advice ;) ?
tripeak | 2006-10-18 10:22:43
So whoare you planning to switch to?

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