The country’s major mobile network operators reported that they have successfully concluded the initial tests of their technical capabilities and interoperability on Wednesday, July 14.
The local telcos, namely DITO, Globe Telecom, and Smart Communications conducted the tests through their joint venture company, Telecommunications Connectivity Inc. (TCI), for the implementation of the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) Act.
Republic Act No. 11202, also known as the MNP Act, ensures that mobile phone users can keep their numbers even when they transfer to another service provider, or when they switch their subscription from postpaid to prepaid, or vice-versa.
The telcos said the outcome of the initial technical tests are “within expectations”. After the initial tests yielded positive results, the next steps will be to streamline the external porting process, implement fraud and security safeguards, optimize systems and backend business operations in time for the actual implementation by September 30, 2021.
By conducting a successful actual porting test, DITO, Globe and Smart secured initial insights and details on how to address remaining concerns and possible challenges, before making the service available to all customers.
The telcos worked to meet the July commitment with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to achieve initial technical readiness, before the actual interporting demonstration with the telco regulator, a key milestone in the MNP process.
“As the newest player in the industry, we truly are excited to provide this service to Filipinos wherever they may be. When we entered the industry, it really was to encourage competition and innovation. With the Mobile Number Portability Act, we have broken down barriers and have given the Filipinos the power of convenience to finally switch to their preferred service provider,” said Adel Tamano, DITO chief administrative officer.
“The initial tests gave us a clearer view of the customer experience when they avail of the MNP, including the experience of customers as they interport to Globe numbers from other networks and vice versa. We learned a lot in the process and we will apply them to make the transition easy and seamless for our customers once the MNP becomes available to all,” said Issa Guevarra-Cabreira, Globe chief commercial officer.
“We are working doubly hard with our counterparts from Globe and DITO to comply with the requirements. This is aligned with our company’s direction: customer-centricity as our True North. We have always been at the forefront of using technology to create better experiences for everyone, and the successful initial tests will help us understand and recalibrate our systems and processes, so we can make the MNP experience simple and easy for our customers. After all, making things simple, using technology, is at the core of the Smart brand promise,” said Jane J. Basas, Smart senior vice president and head of consumer wireless business.
