Nigeria’s telecoms regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) plans to implement Mobile Number Portability (NMP).

Eugene Juwah, the NCC executive deputy chairman confirmed the reports, stating that the move is meant to sensitise subscribers on the benefits of number portability.

The new scheme will allow subscribers to move to alternate networks when they are no longer enjoying the quality of services being obtained from their current operators, or when they are no longer happy with the tariffs offered by their network operator.

With this portability users will still retain their original numbers irrespective of the new network from which they may be obtaining their services.

Juwah said, the regulator was compelled to implement this scheme by subscribers’ complaints of poor service quality among Nigeria mobile network providers.

"We want to address this through strategic actions aimed at improving competition and accountability of the service providers to the consumers of their products and services," Juwah said.

According to the Nigerian telecoms regulatory agency, nations all over the world were recognising that subscribers benefit from MNP saying move would help develop and sustain competition in the telecoms sector.

The portability of Nigeria's mobile network is widely believed would increase competition in the mobile telephony market as customers would have choice to change operators if they were not happy with the quality of service or tariff they get from their existing operators without giving up their original mobile numbers.

The commission has already appointed a consortium of three companies to implement the service in Nigeria and in April directed all mobile phone companies to provide MNP.

Nigeria’s telecoms market is made up of more than 96.6 million active phone lines, more than 131.8 million connected lines as of February this year, according to the NCC.