Problems of Mobile Number Portability in Ghana to users
While Mobile Number Portability is a great technology, it may cause a few problems to the users. They might be as follows:
1. The switching from one operator to another requires you to not pay anything so who bears the cost. Just like some say it, "Nothing comes for free". So you have to pay nothing charge to the new operator for using their service. It is expected that operators would find ways to charge you the maximum amount for changing to their service. While this is not certain, even the possibility of the same is a disadvantage.
2. You still have to follow the same old procedure of going to a shop, getting a new SIM and so on: If you thought that you would just send a SMS and you will change your operator which you are in the train, you are wrong. You still have to go to the shop and get a new SIM. So you cannot retain your old SIM (and all the phone numbers and messages stored in it). So we suggest, you get a habit of storing your contacts in your mobile phone memory instead, if you are going to use Mobile Number Portability service soon and again.
3. It takes time for the switch to take place: So if you want it to happen immediately, you cannot do it. Nothing is in your hands after you have started the process of changing the operator. One would have to wait for about 4 days for the switch to happen in the worst case. In the best case, it would still take about an hour.
4. Since it has not been made clear that when can a person use his new SIM card after applying to the new operator, it may cause problems to the users in some scenarios: Today you get a new SIM and start using the moment you buy it. This will not be possible since the new SIM you buy will not be active unless the number is transferred to the new operator, which may take time of the old operator is snail paced.
Problems of Mobile Number Portability in Ghana to operators
While the operators gain the most out of this service, they also lose it the most! Following are some of the things which make the matter complicated for the operators:
1. Technology change: Since Mobile Number Portability in Ghana will ask the telecom operators to use a slightly different technique that what is already in use, they will have to invest in a newer (and perhaps even more costly) equipment to support Mobile Number Portability.
2. More competition with other companies: The competition between operators will become fierce as they can lose the customers anytime.
3. Underlying network changes: Changing the current call routing scheme (that is technical needs some readjustments in the networking within the operator's own network. This is challenging especially when they do not want the service to be disrupted which the technology is being changed under the hood. It would be like changing the engine of the car while it's running! This is certainly going to be a problem for the backend team of engineers who will do the real technical job here.
Problems of Mobile Number Portability in GHANA for Government
Once again, there are some quite new problems this technology will invite for the government when implemented. Some of them are:
1. Loss due to dropdown in number of mobile numbers: Since many people maintain two numbers just because they cannot change the operator who serves the number they have used till now, but want cheaper and better plans and features may remove the additional numbers, implementation of Mobile Number Portability in short, reduce the total number of mobile phone numbers from Ghana and hence will the revenues from the companies drop. Not only this, the number of people change their mobiles will also get slightly reduced due to various related issues.
2. No More number series reservations: Since numbers can be reused and the 'mobile number series' aspect will be removed after Mobile Number Portability in Ghana is implemented, government is sure to lose the revenue that came to it for the maintenance of those number series. (Note that this might not be entirely true but is very much expected to happen)
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