Ghana regulator eases mobile phone rules

Ghana will next month allow mobile phone customers to switch network operators but keep their numbers, a move that will increase competition and quality of service, an industry regulator said on Friday.

The West African country has some 17 million subscribers able to choose from five networks, including MTN Group Ltd, Vodafone Group Plc and Bharti Airtel Ltd. A sixth is due to come on line soon.

But tariffs in the country are relatively high and customers frequently complain of poor services.

"We believe mobile number portability will revolutionize the mobile sector in terms of competitiveness and quality service delivery," Mawuko Zormelo, a spokesman for the National Communication Authority, said on Friday.

"More importantly, it (would) provide options to users to also make economic decisions," Zormelo added of the change, which becomes operational on July 1.

Zormelo also said that June 30 is the deadline for mobile phone customers to register their numbers after a year-long campaign.

The move, which is being rolled out in many African countries, is aimed at facilitating the tracking of numbers and providing permanent number ownership.