 Neotel backs GNP postponement
Theo Boshoff
Telecoms provider Neotel is backing the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) on its decision to postpone geographic number portability (GNP) for consumers by a month.
Similar to the number portability for cellphone users, where consumers could move from one service provider, say Cell C, to MTN or visa versa, and keep their number, GNP will allow consumers to retain their fixed line number - the one with the city code in the front - when changing their fixed line operator.
Currently, when consumers decide to stop using Telkom and want to move to Neotel, for instance, their numbers would have to change, but in a month’s time that won't be necessary anymore.
At the moment, GNP is only allowed for businesses using blocks of numbers (between 1 000 and 10 000). Starting on 26 April this year, the same process will ensue to allow consumers this right as ICASA heard Neotel and Telkom’s pleas for more time to get their acts together and cut out glitches to enable a smooth changeover for consumers who want to change service providers.
According to Angus Hay, Neotel's executive head of technology, GNP will enable people to shop around for better rates and services from various carriers. "GNP gives control of the telecommunications market to consumers," he says.
The allowance of GNP for consumer further assists in the deregulation of the local telecoms landscape, which brings with it more choice for consumers as well as opening the door for more competition to enter the market, as Neotel did, to offer better telecoms prices against the Telkom monopoly.
It’s not all about better prices, though. It’s also about service offerings and better service delivery, which is the other side of the coin. Consumers will no longer have to put up with bad service or services they do not want or need, simply because there are no other alternatives.
Consumers should also remember that this is not only for voice calls, but also includes data and internet services. Easily moving between fixed line service providers will also allow consumers to have more choice in getting connected to the internet, through the various new undersea cables that have opened up this market even further, and finding a package that suits their needs as well as their pockets.
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