Telecom market leader MTN Ghana says everyone who would port into their network from other service providers from July 7, 2011 would be given free phonebook backup to enable them keep all phone numbers in their SIM contacts to the new MTN SIM card. Acting Chief Marketing Officer at MTN Ghana, Clement Ofori Asante told editors and senior journalists that MTN was giving that free all important service plus other juicy offers to be announced in the coming days as a welcome package for new customers. Phonebook back-up is offered as a paid service on some networks but Mr. Asante said it is free on MTN and also available to existing MTN customers. “We at MTN believe that Mobile Number Portability is an opportunity for more Ghanaians to join MTN and enjoy the great value that we have and this new offer is just their beginning – at MTN we say we are enriching lives and that is exactly what we will give to the new customers who will be joining our family of over nine million subscribers,” he said. Mr. Asante said those who would be porting to MTN would also enjoy MTN-Zone, Pay 4 Me, adding that “if you port out of MTN you stand to lose a lot because life is going to get even better on MTN with the several juicy offers in the pipeline.” He noted that internal research at MTN Ghana indicated several people have no clue what MNP is all about while others also confuse MNP with other issues. “We want to make it clear that when you port your number, you will get a new SIM with same number, and if you port to MTN you cannot use the recharge cards of the previous network anymore but the MTN recharge cards,” he said. He said MNP is not a product as some perceive it to be, adding that people also seem to think when you port your number your information would be available to both your previous and current network, but that was not true. “It is also important to note that once you port to another network you have to remain on that network for a minimum of 30 days before you can port again if you wish to,” he said. Mr. Asante said it was important for people porting to or out of MTN to note that a number could not be ported if that number is not registered, has been reported stolen, blacklisted for reasons of fraud, and when the number is disconnected for whatever reason. Shaibu Haruna, General Manager of Sales and Distribution said to date MTN had registered some 88 percent of its customers hoping to register majority of the remaining 12 percent. He said so far MTN had spent over GHS11 million on SIM card registration to ensure as many customers as possible get registered. Mr. Haruna said MTN had deployed over 20,000 registration points, door-to-door registration teams, field agents and canvassing teams moving round every part of the country to register those not registered. “MTN is also sending daily sms messages and phone calls to remind customers to go register before the deadline,” he said. He also corrected the impression that SIM cards would not be registered again after the deadline, saying even though unregistered numbers would be deactivated, MTN would continue to sell and register new SIM cards and increase its client base. Story by: Samuel Nii Narku Dowuona/Adom News/Ghana