Telcos should immediately implement Mobile Number Portability Act —Gatchalian

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday urged telecommunications companies to put in place a mechanism for the implementation of the Mobile Number Portability Act (MNPA) immediately.

Gatchalian said he finds Globe Telecom's statement that the MNPA can be completely implemented in October 2021 "unacceptable."

“Setting mobile number portability for the second half of 2021 is unacceptable. Our consumers need not to wait that long in order for them to be able to have that freedom to avail of the services they want. We are denying the right of every user to choose what is best for them,” he said in a press statement.

In a message to GMA News Online regarding Gatchalian's statement, Globe said it will wait for the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to comment.

The senator said mobile number portability should be available within six months from the promulgation of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), as provided under Section 11 of Republic Act 11202.

The law was signed in February 2019. The IRR was issued on June 11, 2019 and took effect on July 2, 2019.

Globe, Smart, and newcomer Dito Telecommunity earlier announced that they agreed to get US-based Syniverse to provide mobile number portability services.

Globe earlier said that other countries that implemented mobile number portability took 27 months or a little over two years to make the shift beginning from the issuance of the IRR.

It added that for the Philippine market, Syniverse estimates the period of integration and interoperability to be no later than 18 months from setting up the support mechanism.

Gatchalian said he is appalled by Globe’s statement, saying that during the bicameral conference, the technical working group meeting, and even in public hearings, the telecommunication firms said that they will comply with the rules on mobile number portability.

He added that both Globe and Smart have agreed that the provision on mobile number portability be included in the renewal of their franchises during the 17th Congress.

“To allow the telcos to renege on their commitments in fulfilling their legal obligations based on other countries’ implementation is tantamount to consenting to another scheme of the duopoly. This will frustrate competition and the Filipino consumer will have no other choice but to put up with their underwhelmingly poor and expensive services,” he said.

Mobile Number Portability Act provides mobile services subscribers with the option of keeping their existing mobile numbers even if they switch networks or mode of subscription services (from prepaid to postpaid, and vice versa).

Mobile services subscribers are not required to pay a fee when they decide to retain their existing mobile number after moving from one mobile service provider to another or changing the type of subscription from postpaid to prepaid or vice versa.

The law also removes the interconnection fees charged to subscribers for calling or texting across different networks, Gatchalian said. — with Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA News