Even if you don't like the service of the mobile network, if you are hesitating to get another company's SIM for fear of having to change the number you have been using for years, this compulsion may be removed in the coming days. In Nepal, the proposal to implement 'Mobile Number Portability' i.e. MNP, in which only the service provider company can be changed by keeping your mobile number as it is, has been moved forward again.
In the draft of the 'Integrated Telecommunication Policy, 2083' published by the Nepal Telecommunication Authority, it is proposed to implement a system where consumers can choose another service provider without changing their mobile number. In the draft action plan, it is aimed to implement the arrangements related to interconnection and mobile number portability within two years.
After this system is implemented, for example, a user will be able to choose another mobile network without changing the mobile number he is currently using. According to the current license details of Nepal Telecommunication Authority, there are two service providers in GSM cellular mobile service namely Nepal Telecom and Ncell. Therefore, if the current market structure is maintained, MNP can mainly give the customer the option to change the service provider between these two networks without changing the number.
But one thing needs to be understood here. 'SIM Porting' does not mean running another company's network on your old physical SIM card. The number remains the same, but after the porting is successful, the provision of issuing a new SIM from the new service provider was proposed in the draft of the MNP regulation prepared earlier by the Nepal Telecommunication Authority.
The discussion of mobile number portability is not new in Nepal. In the year 2078, the authority published the draft of the 'Mobile Number Portability Regulations, 2078' and asked for suggestions from the stakeholders. In the said draft, it was proposed to establish a separate 'Number Portability Clearing House' for the operation of MNP and the authority would select its operator through a competitive process.
According to the draft at that time, customers who wanted to port their number had to apply at the office of the new service provider they wanted to go to. The conditions proposed were that the number should be active for at least 90 days, the customer details registered in the SIM should match, there should be no remaining liability with the old service provider and the number should not be blocked or blocked.
Similarly, it was proposed to require a document confirming the identity of the customer to proceed with the porting process. It was mentioned that documents such as government ID card with photo, citizenship, driving license, voter ID card or passport can be used for Nepalese citizens. After the customer requests the porting, the clearing house will verify through SMS and after the process is successful, the new service provider will provide the new SIM.
In the old draft, it was also mentioned that during porting, the balance remaining on the mobile number will not be transferred to the new network and some ancillary services connected to the old service may be terminated. It was also proposed that the customer should be responsible for managing funds related to mobile money. However, not all of these conditions are currently in force. Those are the provisions proposed in the draft MNP regulations published in 2078. Now as the new Unified Telecom Policy progresses, the final rules, fees, procedures, porting time and eligibility conditions may change.
If mobile number portability is implemented, its biggest impact is likely to be on competition between service providers. Nowadays, even if the coverage, internet speed, package or service quality of a network is not satisfactory, it is difficult for many users to change their number due to the old number being linked to banks, digital wallets, social networks, businesses and relatives. After the implementation of MNP, customers will be able to choose the network that suits them without fear of losing their number.
The draft of the new policy prepared by the authority has also linked MNP with the objective of increasing competition in the telecommunication market and ensuring the opportunity for consumers to choose service providers. If the proposal is implemented according to the action plan, within the next two years, number portability, which has been discussed in Nepal for years, can come as a real service.
