Of News Blackouts, Migration Woes, and Corporate Strategy!
What I have found surprising the last couple of months is that, to my knowledge, nowhere in the mainstream Kenyan press has it been reported that there is any problem with the Safaricom network. And so day after day, my sms' arrive hours late, people cannot reach me even though my phone is constantly on, and attempts to call out are often met with a beep, before the phone cuts out.Is it just me with the problem?
I have had the same number since way back when and therefore changing networks is not really an option. You can therefore understand why I have been waiting for years now for the number migration system, promised by the CCK, to be introduced.
You will therefore understand my disappointment when I read that the Communications Commission of Kenya, has frozen plans to introduce number portability technology into the mobile phone market, leaving subscribers who want to change networks with the alternative of acquiring new numbers.What was even more surprising was the reason given, which was that no mobile phone operator was willing to meet the higher costs associated with the proposed system.
I find it amazing that a company with one of the biggest advertising spreads in the business, yet lagging behind in subscribers, would not have taken advantage of this golden opportunity to nab the many Safaricom subscribers who would migrate in an instant if only they could keep their old numbers!Perhaps there is a serious need for Celtel to rethink its corporate strategy, looking to the future. Maybe less emphasis on the advertising (the gains it reaps from advertising are yet to be seen), and a greater emphasis on making it easier for the converted (who are unwilling to lose their numbers) to actually join their network, would be more effective!
