About Mobile Number Portability In Nigeria, How To Port To MTN Airtel Glo Etisalat

Yes, maybe recently you have heard severally of the possibility of PORTING to another mobile network without changing your line. That's true, it is possible.

The Following Are All You Need to Know About Mobile Number Portability
Mobile Number Portability MNP simply means that you can change from your current mobile service provider to enjoy better quality and cheaper rates on another network without changing your mobile number. In other words, you don’t need to inform your friends and relatives about any change in your number after you’ve moved to the new network. This is of great benefit to businessmen and professionals where they may have to suffer loss of customers due to change in mobile number.

Mobile number portability (MNP) has so far been implemented in more than 60 countries worldwide. Nigeria just launched on the 22nd of April 2013. Several emerging countries have recently introduced Mobile Number Portability (Qatar launched MNP on the 31st January 2013), while others are planning to launch this year such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Paraguay and Tanzania...

How do I port my number to a new desired network, for example, Glo?
• Porting is free of Charge
• Walk up to any desired network shop, zone or SIM Registration stand on your street or at your bus stop.
• Fill up a “Port-In” request form and sign the form for MNP at the Stand
• You will need any approved and acceptable valid form of ID card. If you don’t have any form of identitity, the Web Cam of the SIM Registration computer will be used to capture your picture.
• You have to just send “Port” as SMS to the appropriate short code* e.g 3232 for Glo.
• You will receive a first SMS saying: “Thank you for your SMS. Your request is being processed”.
• You will receive a second SMS saying: “Please use/insert your new SIM from your new service provider”.
• You have to wait till you receive this second SMS before you change your SIM to Glo. When you receive this second SMS, remove your old SIM and replace with the Glo SIM given to you when you filled the form.
• The whole process of switching from your old mobile provider to Glo will take a maximum number of 48hours. Your line will still be working during the period in between when you filled the form and when you changed to Glo SIM.

*The respective short codes of each network differs. Keep Porting!!!

Here are 16 Things You Need to Know About Mobile Number Portability MNP

1. MNP allows subscribers to migrate from one mobile service provider to another without changing their mobile phone number. It empowers subscribers to terminate their relationship with their current network service provider if they are dissatisfied with the quality of services provided.

2. The service is provided by all GSM mobile operators in Nigeria- MTN, GLOBACOM, ETISALAT, and AIRTEL- free of charge. This, however, does not apply to Fixed Number Portability, FNP, or any other form of number or service portability.

3. All mobile phone users, no matter the type of your subscription or plan – pre‐paid/pay-as-you-go, post‐paid/ contract, simple/single number or complex/multi number –can take advantage of the service. Individual numbers are ported separately as separate transactions using the same procedure as for a single number account except that the numbers may share the same porting request form.

4.Subscribers must visit the customer care office, retail shop or outlet of their chosen new service provider to request to port their number. Porting cannot be done via telephone calls, text messages, online or other electronic means. Deferred or delayed porting is not permitted. Only real-time porting of numbers is allowed.

5.You must present valid identification documents- passport, driver’s license or an official identity card that has your picture on it- as for proof of identity. A webcam is used to capture your image in the absence of proper identification documents.

6.Your new network needs to check for credit worthiness to ensure that the request to port a number or numbers is not malicious.

7. To port your number, you would be asked to complete a Port Request Form. You would then be asked to send a text message with the word “PORT” to a short code “3232”.Porting is completed within 48 hours.

8. A new SIM card is issued every time you port your number to a new service provider. Your old SIM card ceases to be useful once the porting process has been completed.

9. Subscribers to any network can port at any time and as many times as they like in a given year. However, porting to a third operator or back to your original operator is restricted within 90 days of a previous port. You would need to follow the same procedure each time you decide to port your number or return to your previous service provider.

10. Information on the progress of your porting request is sent via SMS. You can change your mind at any time before you receive confirmation SMS is sent. Cancellation of porting request or porting process is not acceptable once you receive confirmation.

11. Service from the old service network operator may be lost within an hour of notification by SMS of completion of porting request.

12. Your call charges may change to reflect the tariffs of the new network operator.

13. Voicemail, SMS, MMS and ancillary services would need to be reset with the new service provider. Messages sent to you prior to porting may be lost.

14. Pre‐paid subscribers cannot take outstanding credits while switching to the new service providers.

15. Post‐paid subscribers must settle outstanding bills to their previous service provider, including any early termination fees, before the porting process can commence. A final bill for usage up to the time the number is ported would be sent to the new operator.

16. That's all!