Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb.13 /trend H.Veliyev/
Mobile Number Portability (MNP) system in Azerbaijan may be widespread if a simplified form of the transition from one operator to another will be used, CEO of Rcom Seymour Mamedov told Trend.
Mamedov said the experience of Turkey, where the service is already in use, shows how serious is the fight for a subscriber in the country.
"The number portability service is widely used in Turkey, and the operators almost pay subscriber's debt in order to attract them., Georgia, the procedure of transition from one operator to another is quite complicated in Georgia compared to Turkey, and the service isn't widespread in the country. I think the popularity of this service in Azerbaijan will depend on how it will be used. If on the example of Georgia, it is unlikely to be a large flow from one network to another. If the service will be paid, it is unlikely that it will be popular," Mamedov said.
Mamedov considers that all will depend on regulator. The service should be free in reality, and if take into account that operator is interested in connecting subscribers to its network, it must bear certain costs for number portability in its network.
"The only condition for the transition from one operator to another should be that subscriber should have no debts. Service can be widespread, first, in case if it is easy, which requires only to fill a paper, secondly, if the migration takes no longer than one day.
Operators in turns will activated in this direction and will provide more interesting offers in the market., for example operators in Turkey is ready to come home to a subscriber in order to re-register number," Mamedov said.
MNP service commission is scheduled for the early April in Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology told Trend. Currently, all three office GSM-operators are charged to prepare the necessary infrastructure to introduce this service.
The service will be commissioned by all operators simultaneously.
Operators instructed to apply a mandatory 10-digit dialing phone numbers. It is necessary to dial operator's prefix ("050", "051", "055", "070" and "077") and then the seven-digit phone number in accordance with this rule.
The introduction of MNP service will allow subscribers to retain their phone number if they change operator. Transferring numbers imply a complete migration of subscriber numbers, along with the selected operator prefix.