Cell Phone Number Porting in South Africa

Cell phone number porting is one of the most unique things about the telecommunications sector in South Africa. It allows people to move between networks and to take their numbers with them. So, as you can imagine, the sector is highly competitive. Each of the providers in the country is aware that should they provide a not so good service, their customers will simply move to other networks. This article takes a look at cell phone number porting in South Africa.

When was it introduced?

Number porting in South Africa was introduced way back in 2006. So, it has been around for quite some time. Over the years, there has been quite some movement between the networks. If you are South African, this may be something that you wish to look into to get the best service that can be found out there.

Why was porting introduced?

Cellphone number porting, also referred to as Mobile Number Portability, was introduced by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) as a way of giving people in the country an unparalleled level of flexibility and freedom.

How many people have ported their numbers?

Over the years, reception to cell phone number porting among South Africans has been overwhelming. In the years since the service was introduced over 8 million South Africans have used the service. That’s a lot of people who have benefited from the ability to move from one network to the other.

Who does porting?

The process of porting a number is the same between networks. That’s because the process is overseen by The Number Portability Company. The company was established in 2010 by South Africa’s major telecommunications companies; Vodacom, Telkom, Cell C, MTN and Liquid Telecom. So, when you port your number, this is the company that does the process.

Fixed number portability

Number porting in South Africa is not only limited to cell phones. In fact, even fixed numbers can be ported. The idea is that when you move from one Geographic area to the other, you can carry along you telephone number. What this means is that you won’t have to make too many changes as far as your contacts are concerned. Landline number porting is available even if you move to a VOIP service.  On average, over 15K landlines are ported every year.

Want to transfer airtime on Econet in Zimbabwe or on Vodacom? Follow the links to learn how to do it.