Applications for lifetime mobile phone numbers to start Jan. 2020

Subscribers planning to switch from one network carrier to another but want to keep their mobile phone numbers can start applying and have their digits processed by January next year.

Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. said the first transfer process can be done by the telcos six months after the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 11202 or the “Mobile Number Portability Act” has been promulgated.

“Six months ang hinihingi nila [telcos], which is quite reasonable. The first transfer will be six months from now ... mga January 2020,” he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed RA 11202 into law on February 8, 2019.

The National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) earlier released the rules for implementing RA 11202. The IRR will take effect on July 2, 2019. 

Section 11 of RA 11202 states that within six months from the promulgation of the rules and regulations the mobile phone company must comply with the provisions of the law and set up a mechanism for implementing the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) nationwide.

“I think they (telcos) were asking for around six months. Of course, reasonable naman kasi paano mo ilipat ‘yung number sa isang provider kung hindi ready 'yung kanilang platform,” Rio said on the sidelines of a press briefing in Makati City on Wednesday.

“Kasi hindi nila ‘yan pinrogram habang wala pa ‘yung law, habang wala pa ‘yung implementing rules and regulation. Ngayon meron na,  doon na sila mapipilitan na magawa na ‘yung software nila,” he said.

According to the IRR, every subscriber applying for Mobile Number Portability service must be qualified under the following terms:

• no outstanding financial obligation with the donor provider

• the mobile number used in a device is not locked to any mobile service provider

• 60 calendar days must have lapsed from the date of activation of the phone number

• no pending request for transfer of assignment of the mobile number

• no order from a court of law stopping the mobile number porting

• not blacklisted by a service provider due to previous fraudulent activities

“A subscriber who intends to avail of the MNP service shall first request from donor provider a nine-digit unique subscriber code which is valid for 15 days,” the circular read.

“The subscriber shall submit his/her porting application indicating therein a valid USC to recipient provider in person or through a duly authorized representation, or online, or through an SMS via a five-digit access code,” the circular read.

Within 24 hours after receiving the application, the telco must either transmit the clearance to the other company preferred by the subscriber, or that the porting application has been rejected. In other instance, the applicant may still have unsettled financial obligation.

The porting process must be completed within 48 hours after a telco receives the application as long as the subscriber has no outstanding financial obligation or has not been rejected, the NTC said.

Postpaid and prepaid subscribers of the same mobile network may also go for the MNP service, with the application processed within 24 hours subject to existing policies of the telco.

The NTC emphasized that no fees and charges will be collected from subscribers applying for the MNP service.

Rio said allowing subscribers to keep their mobile numbers, regardless if they switched to another service provider or not, will force telcos to improve their service.

“That’s good for us. Ngayon mapipilitan sila mag-improve dahil ngayon madali nang umalis na dala-dala pa ‘yung number. Isa kasi ‘yun sa dahil kahit masama 'yung service hindi tayo nagta-transfer dahil hassle ...” Rio noted.

“Yung ating phone book minsan laman 1,000 contacts tapos iisa isahin mo ‘yan i-text na nagpalit ka na ng number,” he added. —VDS, GMA News