A JOINT VENTURE operated by the main mobile service providers said over 1,000 subscribers have switched networks since the commercial launch at the end of September of Mobile Number Portability (MNP).
“There are more than 1,000 who have successfully ported to their new networks,” Melanie A. Manuel, general manager of Telecommunications Connectivity, Inc., (TCI), the company tasked with carrying out the provisions of the MNP law, said in a webinar Wednesday.
It said it cannot provide an estimate of how many will make the switch going forward, as it would take around “three months to establish a trend.”
“There are many factors involved. Maybe some people are still waiting until everything becomes stable… it’s too early to tell if this is the trend,” Ms. Manuel said.
Both TCI and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said they are working to address delays encountered by users switching networks.
TCI said Smart Communications, Inc., Globe Telecom, Inc., and DITO Telecommunity Corp., aim to address such issues and are open to feedback from those who have availed of the service early.
“For the USC (unique subscriber code) generation… what we’ve done is to open virtual stores so that the applicants will no longer have to go to the physical store to get the USC,” Ms. Manuel said. The USC is one of the first requirements for switching service providers.
The NTC said it is “closely monitoring the implementation of the service to ensure that the objectives of the law are achieved.”
“We have requested Globe to answer the concerns and they have submitted and we are evaluating the answer of Globe. We will be doing that for all the concerns that will be raised before the commission,” NTC Deputy Commissioner Edgardo V. Cabarios said.
Once the system for porting phone numbers is streamlined, TCI said it will continue reviewing the process and ensure all MSPs are compliant with regulations.
TCI is also looking at collaborating with third parties to make them “MNP-ready.”
“Of course, now you’re not talking just about SMS and voice, you also have the apps,” Ms. Manuel said. “(We’re) making sure that all the banks and all the other applications are MNP-ready, so we’ll continue to work with them.” — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte
