Ratio Magazine :: The Inside Track to East Africa’s Economies - Kenya: Press Releases: Airtel accuses Safaricom of sabotaging Mobile Number Portability

N.S.E Share Price

...NSE SHARE Index: 4264.66

UP by 3.08 points | Kakuzi Ord.5.00 77.00 -3.00

| Rea Vipingo Plantations Ltd Ord 5.00 16.45 0.00 | Sasini Ltd Ord 1.00 11.55 0.00 | AccessKenya Group Ltd Ord. 1.00 10.00 0.00 | Car & General (K) Ltd Ord 5.00 49.50 DNT | CMC Holdings Ltd Ord 0.50 10.40 -0.10 | Hutchings Biemer Ltd Ord 5.00 20.25 DNT | Kenya Airways Ltd Ord 5.00 39.50 0.00 | Marshalls (E.A.) Ltd Ord 5.00 14.20 DNT | Nation Media Group Ord. 2.50 173.00 -1.00 | Safaricom Ltd Ord 0.05 4.20 0.05 | Scangroup Ltd Ord 1.00 60.00 -0.50 | Standard Group Ltd Ord 5.00 39.50 DNT | TPS Eastern Africa (Serena) Ltd Ord 1.00 66.50 0.00 | Uchumi Supermarket Ltd Ord 5.00 14.50 DNT | Barclays Bank Ltd Ord 2.00 69.50 0.50 | Centum Investment Co Ltd Ord 0.50 22.25 0.25 | CFC Stanbic Holdings Ltd ord.5.00 79.00 0.00 | Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Ltd Ord 4.00 146.00 -1.00 | Equity Bank Ltd Ord 0.50 28.75 0.25 | Housing Finance Co Ltd Ord 5.00 28.00 0.75 | Jubilee Holdings Ltd Ord 5.00 187.00 1.00 | Kenya Commercial Bank Ltd Ord 1.00 23.25 0.25 | Kenya Re-Insurance Corporation Ltd Ord 2.50 10.60 -0.10 | National Bank of Kenya Ltd Ord 5.00 47.00 0.50 | NIC Bank Ltd 0rd 5.00 52.00 0.50 | Olympia Capital Holdings ltd Ord 5.00 5.00 0.05 | Pan Africa Insurance Holdings Ltd 0rd 5.00 76.00 -3.50 | Standard Chartered Bank Ltd Ord 5.00 275.00 3.00 | The Co-operative Bank of Kenya Ltd Ord 1.00 20.25 0.25 | Athi River Mining Ord 5.00 180.00 -1.00 | B.O.C Kenya Ltd Ord 5.00 150.00 DNT | Bamburi Cement Ltd Ord 5.00 197.00 0.00 | British American Tobacco Kenya Ltd Ord 10.00 280.00 6.00 | Carbacid Investments Ltd Ord 5.00 145.00 -1.00 | Crown Berger Ltd 0rd 5.00 32.50 -1.50 | E.A.Cables Ltd Ord 0.50 19.15 -0.40 | E.A.Portland Cement Ltd Ord 5.00 100.00 -3.00 | East African Breweries Ltd Ord 2.00 181.00 1.00 | Eveready East Africa Ltd Ord.1.00 2.55 0.00 | KenGen Ltd Ord. 2.50 15.50 -0.05 | KenolKobil Ltd Ord 0.05 9.40 -0.10 | Kenya Power & Lighting Co Ltd Ord 2.50 22.50 0.50 | Mumias Sugar Co. Ltd Ord 2.00 8.10 -0.30 | Sameer Africa Ltd Ord 5.00 6.15 -0.05 | Total Kenya Ltd Ord 5.00 28.00 0.25 | Unga Group Ltd Ord 5.00 10.35 -0.10 | City Trust Ltd Ord 5.00 186.00 DNT | Eaagads Ltd Ord 1.25 50.00 -4.50 | Express Ltd Ord 5.00 7.50 -0.20 | Williamson Tea Kenya Ltd Ord 5.00 200.00 0.00 | Kapchorua Tea Co. Ltd Ord Ord 5.00 125.00 DNT | Kenya Orchards Ltd Ord 5.00 3.00 DNT | Limuru Tea Co. Ltd Ord 20.00 305.00 DNT | Kakuzi Ord.5.00 77.00 -3.00 | Rea Vipingo Plantations Ltd Ord 5.00 16.45 0.00 | Sasini Ltd Ord 1.00 11.55 0.00 | AccessKenya Group Ltd Ord. 1.00 10.00 0.00 | Car & General (K) Ltd Ord 5.00 49.50 DNT | CMC Holdings Ltd Ord 0.50 10.40 -0.10 | Hutchings Biemer Ltd Ord 5.00 20.25 DNT | Kenya Airways Ltd Ord 5.00 39.50 0.00 | Marshalls (E.A.) Ltd Ord 5.00 14.20 DNT | Nation Media Group Ord. 2.50 173.00 -1.00 | Safaricom Ltd Ord 0.05 4.20 0.05 | Scangroup Ltd Ord 1.00 60.00 -0.50 | Standard Group Ltd Ord 5.00 39.50 DNT | TPS Eastern Africa (Serena) Ltd Ord 1.00 66.50 0.00 | Uchumi Supermarket Ltd Ord 5.00 14.50 DNT | Barclays Bank Ltd Ord 2.00 69.50 0.50 | Centum Investment Co Ltd Ord 0.50 22.25 0.25 | CFC Stanbic Holdings Ltd ord.5.00 79.00 0.00 | Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Ltd Ord 4.00 146.00 -1.00 | Equity Bank Ltd Ord 0.50 28.75 0.25 | Housing Finance Co Ltd Ord 5.00 28.00 0.75 | Jubilee Holdings Ltd Ord 5.00 187.00 1.00 | Kenya Commercial Bank Ltd Ord 1.00 23.25 0.25 | Kenya Re-Insurance Corporation Ltd Ord 2.50 10.60 -0.10 | National Bank of Kenya Ltd Ord 5.00 47.00 0.50 | NIC Bank Ltd 0rd 5.00 52.00 0.50 | Olympia Capital Holdings ltd Ord 5.00 5.00 0.05 | Pan Africa Insurance Holdings Ltd 0rd 5.00 76.00 -3.50 | Standard Chartered Bank Ltd Ord 5.00 275.00 3.00 | The Co-operative Bank of Kenya Ltd Ord 1.00 20.25 0.25 | Athi River Mining Ord 5.00 180.00 -1.00 | B.O.C Kenya Ltd Ord 5.00 150.00 DNT | Bamburi Cement Ltd Ord 5.00 197.00 0.00 | British American Tobacco Kenya Ltd Ord 10.00 280.00 6.00 | Carbacid Investments Ltd Ord 5.00 145.00 -1.00 | Crown Berger Ltd 0rd 5.00 32.50 -1.50 | E.A.Cables Ltd Ord 0.50 19.15 -0.40 | E.A.Portland Cement Ltd Ord 5.00 100.00 -3.00 | East African Breweries Ltd Ord 2.00 181.00 1.00 | Eveready East Africa Ltd Ord.1.00 2.55 0.00 | KenGen Ltd Ord. 2.50 15.50 -0.05 | KenolKobil Ltd Ord 0.05 9.40 -0.10 | Kenya Power & Lighting Co Ltd Ord 2.50 22.50 0.50 | Mumias Sugar Co. Ltd Ord 2.00 8.10 -0.30 | Sameer Africa Ltd Ord 5.00 6.15 -0.05 | Total Kenya Ltd Ord 5.00 28.00 0.25 | Unga Group Ltd Ord 5.00 10.35 -0.10 | City Trust Ltd Ord 5.00 186.00 DNT | Eaagads Ltd Ord 1.25 50.00 -4.50 | Express Ltd Ord 5.00 7.50 -0.20 | Williamson Tea Kenya Ltd Ord 5.00 200.00 0.00 | Kapchorua Tea Co. Ltd Ord Ord 5.00 125.00 DNT | Kenya Orchards Ltd Ord 5.00 3.00 DNT | Limuru Tea Co. Ltd Ord 20.00 305.00 DNT

Kenya: Press Releases: Airtel accuses Safaricom of sabotaging Mobile Number Portability

Tuesday, 12 April 2011

Nairobi, 12 April 2011 --- The success of the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in Kenya is at risk with reports indicating that some operators may be employing under hand tactics to sabotage the MNP process, barely a week after its launch. While lauding the Communications Communication of Kenya (CCK) for making MNP a reality at an event to welcome the very first customers moving to airtel from other networks today, Managing Director Rene Meza raised a red flag saying several anti-competition tactics were being used to block customers seeking to move to its network.

He said that whereas initial technical hiccups in the implementation process had been deemed to be normal and expected, it is now emerging that some operators are reluctant to address the bottlenecks expeditiously, going against the spirit of MNP project of giving the customer freedom to own their number and move to the network of their choice within the stipulated terms. “How do you explain several complaints received from customers who have opted to move their number to airtel from Safaricom being unable to receive calls from Safaricom numbers for several days, while they are able to communicate on all platforms on the airtel network with the same number?” posed Mr. Meza.

He said contrary to the regulations issued by the CCK, some operators, especially Safaricom, were still trying to woo back customers who had already ported out of their network. “It is amazing that after completing the 48 hour porting process, some players had deliberately declined to de-activate the old sim cards from their network. In essence, what this means is that the customer has not completely moved to his network of choice but is still held captive by Safaricom, an act that is anti patriotic and gross abuse of dominance by Safaricom clearly designed to beat efforts of the government to fully liberalize the sector” he said.

Prior to the implementation of MNP, all operators had expressed commitment to ensure the service was implemented smoothly, a move that was seen as another milestone in Kenya’s telecommunication sector. Largely seen as the next frontier in the battle for subscribers, the successful implementation of MNP is a test-case for CCK’s commitment to overseeing reforms in Kenya’s telecommunication sector. Mr. Meza added: “We have referred the matter to CCK since we feel that if the anti-competition tendencies are not weeded out at the onset, customers may not get a chance to enjoy real freedom and benefits of MNP.”

Comments (1) Add Comment

Subscribe to this comment's feed

businessman
written by mwangi james, April 12, 2011

indeed safaricom are surely hurting us by denying us the freedom to enjoy the MNP.am actually suffering alot since i cannot receive calls.please safaricom tuachilie ki roho safi!!!!!

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Write comment

Show/Hide comment form