All The Things You Need to Know: Switch Networks Without Changing Your Number

15 October 2021

Inquire Now

Do you want to switch to another provider but don't want to change your current number? Yes! It is now possible with the Mobile Number Portability!

The modern world introduces us to a lot of stuff that helps us achieve convenience and faster services. Your phone number, for example, is an extension of your personal branding. You can utilize your phone numbers to progress in your career, widen your circle of friends, keep in touch with relatives and family, and even make a more significant impact on society.

With the advent of advanced online and messaging applications in today's world, most internet-based communication services like Whatsapp use telephone number identification since it offers a convenient two-factor authentication method.

This is the reason why the government approved and implemented the Republic Act 11202 or the Mobile Number Portability Act.

Mobile Number Portability Act

The Mobile Number Portability Act or Republic Act 11202 recently became commercially available on September 30. It is a service that guarantees mobile phone customers to retain their numbers even if they change service providers or go from a postpaid to a prepaid subscription or vice versa.

While the Mobile Number Portability MNP is a relatively new concept in the Philippines' mobile phone industry, it has already become standard practice worldwide, allowing customers to transfer their mobile phone numbers between carriers without incurring any additional fees.

Here are the key provisions under the MNP Law:

Users will be able to freely switch service providers, whether it is internal porting or external porting
Transferring telcos will take 48 hours only, with an estimated 4 hours of outage before the change takes effect.
Prepaid and postpaid customers may utilize the service as long as the postpaid lock-in period has ended and all obligations have been cleared.
There is no restriction on the number of times you may transfer telecommunications providers.
Subscribers can't seek another transfer for 60 days after they've completed a telecom transfer.
Customers will be unable to identify which telecommunications provider the other party utilizes by default.
A text message will initiate the changeover before a SIM card is made available for collection. This particular provision is subject to improvements.
It is necessary for users to have an active SIM card, and the person making the porting request must be the designated recipient of the mobile number.
Users should not be subject to any pending judicial restrictions.
Users should have no pending transfer of ownership

How did it become possible?

This was made possible after the three network providers in the country, namely, DITO, Globe Telecom, and Smart Communications, established a joint venture firm called Telecommunications Connectivity Inc. or TCI.

TCI enabled number portability services in accordance with the Mobile Number Portability Act. In terms of mobile number portability, the TCI acts as the clearinghouse for all operations involving mobile service providers and their customers.

Benefits of MNP

In the event that it is put into practice, MNP can aid in improving consumer welfare by giving them more freedom to make informed decisions based on factors such as value for money, quality, and price without having to change their mobile numbers every time they change mobile service providers or subscription plans.

How can I switch networks without changing my mobile number?

Want to switch your network provider but want to keep your number? Here are some of the common questions you might be asking before you get a porting request:

Will there be a charge for a porting request?

Republic Act 11202 stipulates that porting shall be cost-free.

How many times can I have my number ported?

A period of 60 days must have elapsed since your previous request for porting before you may make another one.

What are the porting options I can have?

There are two kinds of porting: Internal porting and exterior porting. Internal porting means that you move your number solely inside your mother network. It could be from postpaid to prepaid or vice versa.

On the other hand, external porting is the process of moving your phone number from one network to another or vice versa. In networking lingo, your source network is referred to as the originating network, while your destination network is known as the receiving network.

When can I request porting, and what are the requirements I need to prepare?

MNP was commercially launched on September 30, so you can now request either internal or external porting this month.

Internal Porting Requirements:

An active mobile number and SIM
There should be no outstanding debts or outstanding amounts from your prior postpaid bill
No porting request for the last 60 days
There isn't any evidence of fraud

External Porting Criteria:

If you fulfill the following requirements, you should be able to transfer your number from your originating network to the receiving network.

You should have an active mobile number.
Your mobile phone number should not be included in a service or product package that includes other services or products.
No pending request to transfer ownership of your mobile subscription.
Your mobile number must not have other subscriptions
You should not have any porting requests for the last 60 days
There isn't any evidence of fraud
There are no outstanding debts from your previous postpaid bills.
Your phone number must not be linked to a device that is still locked with the originating network.
There should be no restrictions on using your mobile number from the NTC, the court, or the legislation.

You should be able to meet the following requirements, at the very least:

· Your current network provider's valid Unique Subscriber Code (USC).

· A government-issued ID

· Your mobile number's proof of ownership

For Smart and Globe Telecom subscribers, there is a dedicated portability website that you can visit:

For Globe subscribers: https://www.globe.com.ph/mobile-number-portability.html

For Smart subscribers: https://smart.com.ph/Pages/mobilenumberportability

What's a Unique Subscriber Code?

A 9-digit code known as the Unique Subscriber Code (USC) can be requested via text from your current network provider and checked to see if your mobile number is eligible for switching. The USC is valid for fifteen (15) days from the date of issuance. Consumers may obtain the 9-digit USC by contacting their current network.

Take advantage of this freedom to choose the best network provider in your area while keeping your current number!