MNP was launch in Kenya on 1st April 2011, making Kenya the 2nd Sub-Saharan country to successfully launch the service. The presentation gives the regulatory process that facilitated the launch of MNP services in Kenya

1. Implementing Mobile Number
Portability in Africa:
The Kenyan Experience
Presentation by:
Mwende Njiraini
MNP Project Manager
Communications Commission of Kenya
at:
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit
15th – 16th November 2012
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

2. Number Portability Drivers
• Consumer concerns: inconvenience/cost associated with
change of number.
• Regulatory tool:
– Promote competition in a multi-operator environment
– Enhance consumer freedom of choice
• Customer decision to port:
– Price
– Quality of Service (QoS)
– Service Coverage
– Retail shop/agency proximity
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

3. MNP Implementation Process
• 1st Public consultation; 2004
– Regulations Governing Number Portability
– Public Consultation Document on Introduction of Number
Portability in Kenya
• Responses:
– 1 fixed operator - no favourable porting operator
– 2 Mobile operators – unnecessary customer churn
– Consumer concerns – lack of tariff transparency of on-net
and off-net
• Decision to defer until:
– The market had at least 3 mobile operators
– Differential between on-net and off-net tariffs narrowed
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

4. MNP Implementation Process
• 2nd Consultation: Introduction of Service
Provider Number Portability (SPNP) in
Kenya, 2008
• Right environment created for introduction of
MNP services
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

5. The right environment:
Regulatory Reform
Post-
Regulation
Era
Up till
1999
Exclusivity/
Monopoly
Era
1999
Partially
liberalized
Era
2000-2004
Post
exclusivity
Era:
Technology
Neutrality
2004 to
2008
Post
exclusivity
Era:
Unified
Licensing
2008 to
date
5International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Ref: Unified Licensing Framework (ULF)

6. The right environment:
Unified Licensing Framework
Content Service
Providers
Application
Service Providers
Network Facility
Providers
• Premium Rate
Service Providers
• Number Portability
Service Provider
(NPSP)
• Internet Service
Providers (ISP)
• 4 mobile operators
(Safaricom, Airtel
Networks, Essar
Telecoms, Orange)
6International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

7. The right environment:
Mobile Termination Rates
• Determination on Interconnection Rates for
Mobile Telecommunications Networks -
August 2010
– on-net and off-net tariffs narrowed
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Nominal KES. 1st
July
2010
1st
July
2011
1st
July
2012
1st
July
2013
Mobile
Termination
2.21 1.44 1.15 0.99

8. MNP Introduction
• International tender: 28
th
October 2009, the
Commission
• Porting Access BV, The Netherlands
– Winning bidder on basis of lowest porting charge
– Max per port charge = €1.62 =KES 172 ex-VAT
– Registered local company: M/s Port Access Kenya
Limited licensed 21st June 2010
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

9. Consultative process:
MNP Documentation Development
• Working Groups:
• Process Working Group
• Technical Working Group
• Legal Working Group
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

10. Process Working Group
• Development of Procedures and Guidelines
for MNP issued 17th October 2010
– Requirements on the Recipient Operator when
taking a porting request
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

11. Technical Working Group
• Technical Guidelines signed 17th December
2010
– Number Portability Scheme: All Call Query (ACQ)
justification
• Merits:
– Recipient /originating network determines call routing
– Once a number is ported, it can be removed from the
database of the Donor network
• Demerits:
– Additional processing capacity
– All call querying may result in call set-up delay
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

12. Technical Working Group
All Call Query (ACQ)
NPDB
(Number Portability
Database)
Originating
NETWORK
RECIEPIENT
DONER NETWORK3
1
2
DirectRouting
Direct Routing or all call query
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

13. Technical Working Group
• Tariff transparency: Audible warning for off-net calls
• Readiness status monitoring
– MNP Web Interface testing
• Web Service testing
• System integration
• End-to-end tests
• Equipment Installation Status
– Equipment procurement and installation status
– Implementation of routing databases
• Operational Status
– Identification of retail outlets
– Training of relevant staff/agents
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

14. Legal Working Group
• MNP Service Agreement signed 17th December 2010
• Contract
– Obligations of operators and Porting Access
– Indemnity
– Confidentiality
– Dispute Resolution
– Service specifications, etc
• Schedules:
– Cost and payments
– Procedures and Guidelines for the provision of MNP
– Service level agreement
– Business Rules and Processes
– Project Plan
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

15. Legal Working Group: Project Plan
2010 2011
September October November December January Febru
ary
March April
1st Phase Test system availability
Preparation of Go Live
Working Groups: Final Document Review and Meetings
Release of Guidelines
CEO Signing of
Contract
Training and consultations with Porting Access
2nd phase Operator
End-2-End tests with
system connection to
SMSC
Inter- operator tests
Debugging
Fr
e
ez
e
d
at
e
M
N
P
G
o
Li
ve
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

16. MNP Service Launch
• MNP Service Launch;
1st April 2011
– FAQs
– Print and electronic
media campaign
– Radio and TV
interviews
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

17. MNP Service Launch
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Airtel : Ni Kuhama

18. MNP Service Launch
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Telkom Kenya: Mobile Number Portability

19. MNP Service Launch
Safaricom: Karibu tushererekee
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

20. MNP Service Launch
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Essar Telecom: Join YU today for Free

21. MNP Service Launch: Challenges
• Technical hitches
among operators in
porting and routing
• Timed out requests
• Porting request on
‘Awaiting SMS’
• Port out requests
unreachable from
donor operator
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

22. MNP Service Audit
• End-to-end tests of SMS delivery to toll free short
code 1501
• SMS Queuing tests
• Confirmation of automatic routing table updates
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

23. MNP Service Audit
Point of Failure Link connecting Test Parameter
Point 1 Subscriber to
donor operator
Delivery of SMS 1501 to
SMSC
Point 2 Donor Operator to
Porting Access
Delivery of SMS 1501 to
Porting Access
Point 2
Donor operator Central Database1501
SMS 1, 2
Point 1
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

24. MNP Service Audit:
Recommendations
• Amending MNP Procedures and Guidelines:
– Removal of a specific body text of SMS to 1501
– Automated MNP system
• Maximum 48 hours porting process
• Immediate (maximum 15minutes) database updates
– Enforcement action of the Kenya Information and
Communications (Compliance Monitoring,
Inspections and Enforcement) Regulations, 2010
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

25. MNP Service Audit:
Recommendations
• Strict compliance with the provisions of
MNP framework:
– Relevant license conditions
– MNP Procedures and Guidelines
– MNP Service Agreement
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

26. MNP Service Audit:
Recommendations
• Consumer education
– Full disclosure of the terms and
conditions/implications of porting
– Step by step porting procedure
– Operator customer service staff training
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

27. Number of In-Ports
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
Oct-Dec-11 Jan-Mar-12 Apr-June-12 Jul-Sep-12 Oct-Dec-12
Source: CCK Quarterly Sector Statistics 2nd Quarter of Financial Year 2012/13 (Oct-Dec 2012)

28. Is MNP a Success?
* Mobile Number Portability. Lessons learnt. *Mobile number portability - is it worth it?
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR
1 How long does it take to complete the
porting process?
Porting times are short
(Automated process)
2 Does the customer have to pay to
port?
Porting customer does not have
to pay for porting
3 Which operator does the customer
have to contact to start the porting
process?
Customer has to contact only
recipient operator only.
Donor may seek to dissuade the
porting customer or frustrate
the porting process
4 Is the availability of MNP well
publicized and marketed?
MNP is actively promoted and
welcomed

29. Questions?
www.cck.go.ke
mnp@cck.go.ke
info@cck.go.ke
International MNP Implementation and Management Summit, 15th – 16th November 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania