Mobile number portability a go on Sept. 30, but expect hiccups

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Telecommunications Connectivity Inc. (TCI) said number portability services will be rolled out by the Sept. 30 target, but some features may not be immediately available.

TCI is the mobile number portability arm established by Smart Communications, Globe Telecom and Dito Telecommunity. It will allow subscribers to easily shift between telco providers and plans without having to change their mobile numbers.

“While we have worked closely with the telco industry and endeavored to make this new service as seamless as possible, we also ask our customers for patience and understanding especially as they start availing the service,” TCI general manager Melanie Manuel said in a statement on Friday.

“Integrating the various technologies that carry traffic for millions of customers is no easy task, and quite realistically, we expect to experience some birth pains as we start offering the service,” she added.

According to TCI, most number porting services will be available on Sept. 30. However, there will be no prepaid to postpaid porting within Dito “since it currently does not offer postpaid service.”

Moreover, domestic and international inbound and outbound services for text messaging will be available across all telcos with limitations on voice calls and roaming. “These initial limitations will be remedied in the soonest possible time,” TCI said.

Meanwhile, reloading or top-ups via third-party apps and services will be dependent on their capacity while the availability of postpaid subscriptions to third-party applications via direct carrier billing will also depend on the capability of these applications.

“Together with Dito, Globe and Smart, who have been working round-the-clock to ensure that we are ready to provide the [portability] service by the end of this month, we in TCI wish to reassure everyone that we will deliver on our commitment,” Manuel said.