Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 19 / Trend H.Valiyev /
The Azerbaijani mobile operator Bakcell supports the early introduction of the Mobile Number Portability service (MNP), Bakcell Corporate Communications Department Head Parvana Mamedov told Trend.
Mammadova said the Azerbaijani Communications and IT Ministry set specific requirements, under which the mobile operators must implement necessary measures to build an MNP service infrastructure.
"The MNP service should simultaneously be run by all three mobile operators in Azerbaijan; this is an important moment in its implementation. The ministry keeps this issue in focus. The market definitely needs it, and we are interested in and working toward ensuring readiness for its use in our network to meet the ministry's requirement", she said.
The issue of introducing the MNP service is regularly raised at meetings held at the ministry. However, it is difficult to predict the exact time when the service will be launched, Mammadova added.
Azerbaijan's mobile operator Azercell Telekom, Ltd. is technically ready to introduce a number portability service, spokesman Fakhri Abbasov told Trend earlier. He said that a legal base and operating technical procedure is needed to introduce the service.
"This is a good international experience that provides subscribers with more rights. Its introduction affects the market. Subscribers will be more selective, and I think that people appreciating quality and continuity of mobile communications will make decisions based on the situation", Abbasov said.
Azerfon also believes that the introduction of MNP will meet subscribers' interests and that preparations are necessary for an appropriate legislative framework to work and protect subscriber interests in this direction. After obtaining the approval of relevant agencies, the MNP service will be available to subscribers of Azerfon and other operators, the operator reported earlier.
Introducing MNP services will allow subscribers to reserve their phone number in case of a change in operators. This will free them from notifying their relatives and business partners in case their number changes.
The Communications and IT Ministry has prepared rules to introduce MNP services. It has developed relevant rules to form a legal framework, reflecting the experience of countries already using this service.
The operators have to address some technical issues to prepare the infrastructure for the use of this service. Number Portability implies a full migration of phone numbers along with the selected operator prefix (050, 051, 055, 070 and 077).
The introduction of the MNP service increases competition and forces operators to take extra efforts to retain former customers while providing more attractive services to attract new ones.