International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 10, October 2013) 663 Customer Experience with Mobile Number Portability Implementation in Ghana Kwame A. P. Agyekum 1 , Eric T. Tchao 2 , Emmanuel Affum 3 1,2,3 Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah Univ. Science and Technology, Ghana Abstract—This paper examines the implementation of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in Ghana and presents the experiences of subscribers with the implemented MNP policy. According to a cost-benefit analysis of the portability process, it is evident that the over 19 Million Mobile subscribers satisfy the minimum market size below which overall benefits cannot be felt. From the study, we argue that, even though the homogeneity of services provided by the Mobile Network Operators (MNO) in Ghana do not provide appropriate incentives to enable subscribers to port out of a network and thus the initial recorded lower porting rate, the threat of porting has led to improved competition among operators resulting in lower tariffs, better services and improved Quality of Service (QoS) of the networks. Hence the implemented MNP policy could be considered as successful. The competitive effects resulting from the introduction of MNP in the telecom sector have been discussed thoroughly. Keywords—Mobile Number Portability; Competition; Quality of Service, Mobile Network Operators; Homogenous Service. I. INTRODUCTION Number portability is a network function that allows a subscriber to keep a unique telephone number. It is imposed by National Regulatory Authorities and agreed upon among different network operators [1]. Mobile number portability (MNP) is described as a feature that enables mobile subscribers to retain their mobile numbers when switching from one Mobile Network Operator to another [2]. Mobile subscribers incur switching costs when changing operators to take advantage of lower call rates and potentially better services. Several articles discuss the composition of switching costs and most suggest that it consists of the time and money expended in moving to a different operator, including having to inform contacts of a number change [3] and the loss of or having to give up a phone number [4]. Such an action is perceived as a risk both financially and psychologically [5]. The imposition of contractual agreements and customer loyalty programs by mobile operators add to these switching costs. For business enterprises, the costs of switching operators and changing phone numbers are far greater. This is because they end up having to reprint business cards, sign boards and other paraphernalia on which their numbers are displayed, and websites have to be updated with the new contact information. They also risk losing business opportunities through missing calls from those who are unaware of their number changes [5] [6]. These costs, therefore, act as a barrier to changing operators by reducing the attractiveness of switching to better alternatives; the greater the switching costs, the more likely a subscriber will not move to another carrier [7][8]. For new operators in the mobile sector, high switching costs act as a barrier to winning over subscribers from competing networks; furthermore, operators have to offer tariffs low enough to outweigh the cost of switching networks [5]. As a result of all these factors, regulators found it necessary to introduce MNP services, as they reduce switching costs and facilitate consumer choice and ensure effective competition. To ensure healthy competition in the Ghanaian telecommunication industry, a Mobile Number Portability (MNP) Policy was implemented on 6th July, 2011 by the National Communications Authority (NCA) in consultation with the MNOs. Initial evaluation of the implemented policy has been generally successful. Ghana now has one of the fastest porting system leading to improved competition in its mobile telephony sector [9]. This paper presents the views of subscribers in Ghana on the service offered by the MNOs and the effect of the implemented MNP Policy in fully understanding the competitive effects resulting from the introduction of MNP in the telecom sector. II. IMPLEMENTATION OF MNP IN GHANA Mobile Number Portability was introduced in the Ghanaian market on 6th July, 2011 to increase competition among the Mobile Network Operators who have been keen to lure customers to their networks.