Etisalat Nigeria has been the biggest beneficiary since mobile number portability (MNP) was launched in April, according to chief executive officer (CEO) Steven Evans.
Speaking to journalists in Lagos, Evans said the number of subscribers from other networks that had ported to Etisalat is bigger than those who had left.
He added the network had received thousands of MNP requests, while also surpassing the benchmark set by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) through its Key Performance Indicator for May 2013.
“NCC set Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR) at 95 per cent benchmark for all telecoms operators, but Etisalat surpassed it and recorded between 98 and 99 per cent in the month of May, 2013,” Evans said.
The success he said is connected to the stable network and continuous upgrades, which have given the network the sufficient capacity to sustain its various promotions and campaigns.
With the number of subscribers currently at more than 15 million, Evans said the network currently has the capacity to accommodate 20 million.
“We are not relenting network expansion drive in order to maintain a stable network that will give our subscribers absolute peace of mind in voice telephony and data communications,” Evans said.
He also disclosed the company has set aside capital for investment in network expansion and upgrade.
“Etisalat is investing between US$400 and US$500 (NGN62 billion and NGN76 billion) on capital investments for this year alone, which include network upgrade and expansion in order to maintain a stable network for its growing subscribers,” Evans said.
