Recent statistics published by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) show that the vast majority of Kenyans did not use the number portability offering by the country. It showed that users appeared to be content with their current provider. Number portability offered users to change companies without losing the number they currently were using, in an effort to bolster service providers' customer service. According to the CCK, the offering appears to have done its job in boosting overall service to users in Kenya. According to the CCK in a recent report publicized on Tuesday, only around 54,000 subscribers used the number portability scheme last year. And the numbers showed a steep decline throughout the year through December, which register only 747 subscribers switching networks, despite hope it would see more takers after being nearly 6 years in the making. “Unfortunately, MNP has not been as hugely successful as was anticipated. It's a good option for subscribers to have, but we have not seen great uptake as per the high expectations,” said Madhur Taneja, manager of Essar Telecom Kenya. TeleGeography reported last month that Taneja demanded that telecom leader in Kenya, Safaricom, be forced to open up its mobile money service, M-PESA, to other networks, arguing that users were unwilling to switch providers because Safaricom offered the mobile banking option. He said other telecom operators are willing to pay fees to Safaricom in order to have the service. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/3QyIz Tags: Kenya, Mobile, Phones, Portability, Telecom Section: East Africa, Tech
