Mobile number portability kicks off in Kenya

Mobile number portability has kicked off in Kenya, enabling phone subscribers to retain their numbers whenever they opt to change service providers. Communications Commission of Kenya Director-General Charles Njoroge said in a statement the implementation of number portability is expected to deepen the level of competition in the mobile market and enhance consumer choice. Njoroge says introduction of number portability will result in improvement in the quality of service as mobile operators fight it out to retain and attract subscribers in their network. All subscribers wishing to port their numbers will be expected to fill in the Mobile Number Portability Form at the retail shop of the mobile operator they intend to switch to and present original identification documents for verification. For company lines, an official letter from the organization, duly signed by the relevant authority, will be required. Subscribers will also pay a porting fee of KES 200 and will be issued with a new SIM card and will continue to use the services of their current operator until the automated porting process is complete. To start the automated porting process subscribers will need to send the word PORT or HAMA to 1501 using their existing SIM card. The subscriber will then receive an SMS from PORTING with the following information: Thank you for your SMS. Your porting request is being processed. When the automated switching process is complete, one will receive, within a few minutes (but not longer than 48 hours), an SMS from PORTING saying: This Account will be closed soon.