Mobile Number Portability is set to launch in the Philippines, allowing consumers in the country to easily switch to a telecommunications provider of their choosing while retaining their mobile number.
MNP will be commercially available in the Philippines beginning September 30. Earlier today, Globe Telecom, Smart Communications, and DITO Telecommunity held a virtual press conference to discuss the service and announce Telecommunications Connectivity Inc.
TCI is a joint venture formed by the country’s three biggest network operators that will serve as the implementing body “for all activities between mobile service providers and the local MNP provider” — in this case, Syniverse.
Mobile number portability ensures you’ll be able to retain your number while having the freedom to switch to a cheaper, or more reliable, carrier. It also lets you keep your number after moving from prepaid to a postpaid plan, or vice versa
Basically, MNP ensures that you’ll be able to retain your mobile number while having the freedom to switch to a cheaper, or more reliable, carrier. It also lets you keep your number after moving to a postpaid plan from prepaid, or vice versa.
You may still have a lot of questions, so we put together this FAQ to answer some of those basic queries with regard to MNP and how it will work in the Philippines when the service goes live for everyone on September 30.
- Do I need to pay for mobile number portability?
- No, porting is a free service.
- What are the requirements for porting?
- An active SIM
- No remaining balance from a previous bill (for postpaid customers)
- No existing court prohibitions or record of fraudulent activity
- No porting transaction in the last 60 days
- How do I get started?
- Porting is as easy as sending an SMS request from your phone. According to TCI, porting requests will be approved within four hours.
- Do I need to get a new SIM card to use my new operator’s services?
- Yes, your new network provider will give you a new SIM card to use. You need to physically go to the store to pick up your SIM, though.
- Will your contacts know that you have switched operators?
- No. You have to tell them that you have switched to a new service provider.
- With MNP launching soon, will telcos still have lock-in periods for postpaid plans?
- Yes, unfortunately. So if you have an existing plan, you’ll need to wait for the lock-in period to expire before you can have your phone unlocked and ready to take in a SIM from a different provider.
If you have any more questions, feel free to reach us in the comments below, then we’ll try to get them answered.
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