By Hannah Torregoza
The Senate has approved on third and final reading the measure granting consumers the right to keep their mobile phone numbers for life.
Senate Bill No. 1636, or the proposed “Lifetime Cellphone Number Act,” was passed with 20 affirmative votes, zero negative votes and no abstention.
The measure allows mobile phone subscribers to retain their existing cellphone numbers even if they change service providers to another, or subscription plans, either from prepaid to postpaid or vice versa.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate economic affairs committee, said that this would be possible by primarily requiring public telecommunications (telcos) entities in the country to provide consumers with “mobile number portability (MNP).”
“The bill would give consumers them the freedom to choose the provider that would give the best value for their money without having to lose or change their mobile numbers,” said Gatchalian author and sponsor of the bill.
Under the bill, telcos which would delay, withhold, refuse or otherwise fail to deliver the benefits of the MNP to a mobile subscriber within 24 hours from the time the subscriber completed his application could be penalized with fines up to P1 million or with total revocation of their operating franchises.
The telecoms will be required, under the bill, to provide consumers with “sufficient and relevant” information on how to avail of the MNP, including application requirements and the porting process.
The Senate bill also included an amendment Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson introduced, which called for the removal of the “interconnectivity” fees telcos impose on subscribers for calls and messages across different networks.
“The bill would address concerns of consumers who would rather stick to their current mobile service providers and continue to pay for bad service, rather than face the inconvenience of changing numbers for fear of losing important contacts,” he said.
He said it would also free subscribers “from such shackles and allow them to transfer to the telecommunications entity that offers the best customer service, network coverage and quality of service.”
Gatchalian also expressed confidence that the nationwide MNP system would promote competition among Telcos, and motivate them to provide consumers with the best overall value that they can offer.
“It will also foster technological innovation that will lead to an even greater demand for telecommunications products and services, and lead to a virtuous cycle of economic growth,” he said.