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Improving mobile number portability

25 September 2009

By the end of March this year, 46% of all UK homes bought their communications services in bundles - and the trend seems likely to continue, and include an increasing proportion where mobile services are a part of the package. Given the increasing popularity of service bundles, it's clear that consumers would benefit from a more unified switching process for communications services. 

With this in mind, the Panel sent a letter today in response to Ofcom's consultation on mobile number portability (PDF 51KB, opens in a new window) - the process by which you switch from one provider and deal to another, but keep your original number. The Panel is pleased that Ofcom intends to improve the system of mobile number portability. In doing so, it will be important to consider how this will tie in with plans to develop a more unified switching process for communications services. As far as possible, the Panel thinks that the switching processes for communications services and the process of porting mobile numbers should be consistent and require the limited involvement of consumers.

It's important that simplifying or speeding up the process of porting numbers doesn't cause undesirable side effects - the slamming and scamming potentials for consumers to be switched to a new provider without their consent, or consumers having insufficient information to make an informed decision. 

One thing which the UK might usefully draw lessons from in moving this forward, is the French model. There, consumers receive a code when they request a switch, avoiding the need to communicate with either the gaining or loosing provider. They also get a text which tells them how long their current contract has to run, or whether they are out of contract.  We were happy to see that Ofcom's consultation looks at how other countries' strategies for improving mobile number porting, including the French system. Our current system has been a source of frustration for consumers for some time now, so it's exciting to see the possibilities for improvement which could be developed here. 

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