August 8, 2001—New arrangements will make it easier for UK consumers to keep their mobile telephone number when changing networks. Following an initiative driven by the UK Office of Telecommunications (Oftel), a new procedure that allows consumers to transfer their number quicker and easier than before has been agreed upon by the four network operators. The improved process is due to be introduced October 1, 2001.
BT Cellnet, One2One, Orange, and Vodafone have said their new arrangements will drastically reduce the time taken to transfer, or “port,” a number from the current twenty-five working days to just five. Consumers will also be able to choose the date on which they switch their number.
A survey conducted on behalf of Oftel revealed that only one in five people who inquired about transferring their mobile number received the correct advice on all the processes involved. Conducted in 300 retail outlets and call centers of mobile service providers, the research concerned whether the consumers could transfer their number, the costs involved, and the length of time the process would take. Similarly, staff told almost one in three consumers that it was not possible to keep their number or that the employee did not know whether it was possible.
Visit Oftel’s site for the Mobile Phone Number Portability and SIM Unlocking Research (.pdf file), and for Oftel’s Fixed Number Portability Compliance Statement.
