Mobile subscribers can start switching to another telco starting September 30!

The country's mobile subscribers can start availing of number portability services beginning September 30.

Mobile number portability to be official on September 30

MNP to be commercially launched on Thursday

However, Telecommunications Connectivity Inc.—the joint venture of the major telco players that will facilitate the mobile number portability service—asked consumers to manage their expectations as they may experience "some birth pains".

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. 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, TCI general manager Melanie Manuel explained in a statement last Friday.

But most of the number porting services will be available on Thursday, the company said.

READ these points from TCI:

1. Internal and external porting across operators will be ready by September 30. There will be limitations with regard to prepaid to postpaid porting within DITO Telecommunity since it currently does not offer postpaid service as of MNP launch.

2. Domestic and international inbound and outbound services for SMS will be available across all telcos. There are however some limitations on voice calls and roaming at the onset. However, these initial limitations will be remedied in the soonest possible time.

3. Full data services will also be available. Ported subscribers can start to enjoy the services that their chosen “new” provider offers.

4. Airtime loading and/or prepaid top-up will be available across physical stores and retailers. Meantime, loading via third-party apps and various online channels will be dependent on the capability of these third-party applications.

5. Lastly, the availability of postpaid subscriptions to third-party applications via direct carrier billing, will also depend on the capability of these applications.

Manuel assured Filipino consumers that the group will continue to upgrade its MNP services to provide a smooth process of switching to another network provider while keeping the mobile number.

See also: How to switch to a new telco provider without changing your mobile number?

What do you guys think?