The Philippine government has released the implementing rules and regulations for the lifetime cellphone number law.
In a statement, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said telco subscribers can now permanently own their numbers regardless of the telco network.
Telco companies have six months to comply with the new memorandum, which states that on July 2, mobile service providers must comply with the provisions of the law and set up a mechanism for the purpose of implementing the Mobile Number Portability nationwide.
Two major telco players said they are working on it.
“Our team is working closely with the government and other telcos to put in place systems for the new law’s smooth implementation,” Globe said in a statement to GMA News.
PLDT-Smart said they are also supportive of the new law but expressed reservations regarding privacy issues.
“We have, however, expressed our reservations on constitutional grounds regarding the rider provisions in the law, which removes interconnection fees between operators,” Smart said.
Some qualifications for a subscriber to apply for a permanent mobile number includes no outstanding financial obligation from its current telco, not locked-in to any mobile service provider and no records of fraudulent activities.
No fees will be collected on the application of a permanent mobile number.
