THE COMMITTEE on information and communications technology (ICT) of the House of Representatives recently invited the public to share their opinions on two separate bills pushing mobile phone number portability filed in Congress recently.
Mobile phone number portability refers to people to retaining a single number even if they switch to a different mobile phone firm.

Representatives Joey Salceda and Joseph Santiago have filed House Bills 1098 and 3088, arguing that the absence of mobile phone portability in the Philippines has deprived local consumers of choice once they subscribe to one of the local networks.

"The lack of cellular mobile telephone number portability – the capacity of a consumer to retain a cellular mobile telephone number when changing cellular mobile telephone service providers – is a barrier to competition in the market for cellular mobile telephone service," wrote Salceda in the introduction to his proposed measure.

This has become a deterrent for customers to switch from their existing service providers even if they have found its service unsatisfactory, he said.

Salceda added that the lack of number portability has also acted as a disincentive to cellular mobile telephone service providers to improve the quality of their service.

"More than half of business cellular mobile telephone users report that cellular mobile telephone portability number would make them more likely to change cellular mobile telephone service providers," he stressed.

Representative Santiago’s bill in turn mandates mobile phone service providers to give their subscribers the option to retain their numbers even if they switch to another service provider.

"Consumers always have the right of choice and that includes the right to keep their numbers if they choose to," he said.

Mobile phone number portability is allowed in the United States with blessings from federal regulation, according to Santiago.

Number portability also allows subscribers to use the same handset if they decide to switch carriers.

Recent figures from local operators indicate that there are more than 30 million subscribers in the country, with penetration rate approaching 40 percent by end of the year.

The implementation of mobile number portability (MNP) is a global trend, according to market researcher Mindbranch.

Since its introduction in 1997, it has posed challenges for regulators and the industry, raising technical, operational, and economic issues.

According to Mindbranch, regulators around the world have embraced number portability as a means to promote competition and facilitate consumer choice of services. Many mobile network operators, on the other hand, have resisted it, citing financial, technical, and implementation burdens.