Botswana said it has abandoned plans to implement mobile number portability (MNP) among the country’s three mobile phone operators after more than six years of preparation. Minister of Transport and Communications, Thulaganyo Segokgo, told Parliament the initiative would not proceed as an operator network readiness assessment study had shown that it was not feasible.
The minister said operators had been encouraged to explore other alternatives to MNP, such as promoting over-the-top services and other “disruptive technologies”.
Market observers said the move will likely affect BTC Mobile, which had expected to boost its market share by up to at least 30% through MNP.
At present, Mascom dominates the local market in terms of subscribers, followed by Orange and BTC Mobile. MNP would have allowed BTC Mobile to entice customers away from its two rivals.
