Mobile number portability ready by end-September

MANILA, Philippines — Mobile network providers are ready to provide mobile number portability (MNP) services by the end of the month, but subscribers are advised of certain porting limitations at the onset.

Telecommunications Connectivity Inc. (TCI) – a joint venture company of Smart, Globe and Dito – said the MNP service would become commercially available on Sept. 30, allowing mobile customers to choose their telco service provider as frictionless as possible.

“We are excited to finally enable Filipino mobile customers to keep their existing mobile numbers if they choose to switch mobile network providers,” TCI general manager Melanie Manuel said.

The MNP service will enable customers to move from one network to another free of charge.

Subscribers will be able to keep their numbers even as they transfer from one provider to another, or even if they simply want to change their subscription from postpaid to prepaid, or vice-versa.

Manuel, however, said subscribers should expect some birth pains during the early implementation of the service.

“While we have worked closely with the telco industry and endeavored to make this new service as seamless as possible, we also ask our customers for patience and understanding especially as they start availing the service,” Manuel said.

“Integrating the various technologies that carry traffic for millions of customers is no easy task, and quite realistically, we expect to experience some birth pains as we start offering the service,” she said.

TCI said internal and external porting across operators would be ready by Sept. 30, but there will be limitations from prepaid to postpaid porting within Dito Telecommunity since the company currently does not offer postpaid service as of the MNP launch.

Domestic and international inbound and outbound services for SMS will also be available across all telcos.

However, TCI said there are some limitations on voice calls and roaming at the onset, which it vowed to remedy in the soonest possible time.

TCI said full data services would also be available, in which ported subscribers can start enjoying the services that their chosen new provider offers.

Airtime loading and/or prepaid top-up will be available across physical stores and retailers.

Meantime, loading via third party apps and various online channels will be dependent on the capability of these third-party applications.

TCI said the availability of postpaid subscriptions to third-party applications via direct carrier billing will also depend on the capability of these applications.

“Together with Dito, Globe, and Smart, who have been working round-the-clock to ensure that we are ready to provide the MNP service by the end of this month, we in TCI wish to reassure everyone that we will deliver on our commitment,” Manuel said, adding that  “as we progress, we will continue to upgrade and evolve the MNP services in the months ahead. ”