Effect of Mobile Network Portability (MNP) Adoption on Customers’ Switching Intention of Telecommunication Industry in Sri Lanka: Mediating Effect of Attitude Towards MNP

Abstract

The mobile telecommunication industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in Sri Lanka, and the competition among telecommunication providers has increased continuously. Therefore, service providers need to sustain their customers and attract other customers to remain in the market. There are a lot of complaints from customers about their telecommunication provider’s service, but there is no huge improvement in the churn rate of the Sri Lankan telecommunication industry because of the inability to keep their existing phone numbers. As a result, many countries have introduced the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) concept, and mobile users can change their mobile service provider if they are unsatisfied with their mobile service providers without changing their mobile phone numbers. Sri Lanka is also trying to implement the MNP concept. Therefore, this research aims to address these gaps by examining the effect of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) adoption on the switching intention of customers as well as the mediating role of attitude towards MNP. Three independent variables were identified according to the previous literature: perceived usefulness of MNP, knowledge of MNP, and perceived porting cost, which influence customers’ switching intentions. The study revealed a positive relationship between MNP adoption and switching intention in the Sri Lankan telecommunications industry. The research provided valuable insights for the telecommunications industry in Sri Lanka and guided them to improve and promote the perceived usefulness of MNP.