The joint venture of Philippine telcos would pave the way to improve services that will benefit the country and all the telco subscribers regardless of their carriers
Image by THEPHILBIZNEWS
TCI or Telecommunications Connectivity Inc. (TCI), is the joint venture company formed by DITO, Globe and Smart to enable number porting services in compliance with the Mobile Number Portability law. The TCI is the implementing arm for all activities between mobile service providers on one hand and the mobile number portability service provider (or the clearinghouse) on the other.
“The entire telco industry and the Philippine government are pushing forward with the same goal of providing Filipinos with better telco services. Aside from encouraging healthier competition amongst the players, MNP also grants Filipinos the freedom to switch to their preferred mobile service provider seamlessly and conveniently. Na walang alinlangan,” said Atty. Adel Tamano, treasurer, Telecommunications Connectivity Inc. chief administrative officer, DITO Telecommunity.
A separate entity is required to facilitate decision-making and approvals in the various contracts that will be entered into during the course of the implementation of mobile number portability. It will be too unwieldy to secure approvals from the 3 operators of any decision or contract that will have to be entered into with third parties.
Melanie A. Manuel has been named the TCI’s Interim General Manager. Manuel is an Industrial Engineering graduate whose telco work experience includes Domestic Carrier Relations, International and Domestic Settlements, Settlement Systems, IS Business Analysis, and Human Resource Management.
TCI will be coterminous with the implementation of mobile number portability. For as long as the law requires mobile number portability, TCI will continue to exist for the same reasons it was organized. Note though that TCI will just be on limited manpower complement.
Mobile Number Portability or MNP, as a global practice enables a mobile phone customer to keep their number even when they switch networks or change their subscription from postpaid to prepaid and vice versa. The process itself is free of charge.
Republic Act No. 11202, also known as the Mobile Number Portability Act, ensures that mobile phone users can keep their numbers even when they transfer to another service provider, or when they switch their subscription from postpaid to prepaid, or vice-versa.
MNP helps promote consumer welfare by fostering the freedom to choose and to respond to quality, price and other relevant considerations without consumers having to change their mobile numbers whenever they change mobile service providers or subscription plans. Porting is FREE.
To port within networks, one needs to meet the following requirements: ● An active SIM and the requestor is the assignee of the mobile number to be ported
● No remaining balance from your previous bill (for postpaid)
● No existing court prohibitions
● No pending transfer of ownership
MNP will be commercially available in the Philippines on September 30, 2021.
Unlike earlier implementations of MNP, the mobile business has grown in complexity because of the vast array of service offerings and customization that are attached to a mobile number, which may not easily be unbundled when moving to another service provider. The three operators also have different channels for topping up prepaid loads and differ in systems which greatly affect interoperability.
The operators have invested a total of P120 Million, so far. It is expected, however, that they will spend more because under the Mobile Number Portability law, the service is free of charge for the customer.
Syniverse was chosen by the Philippine mobile operators through a technical and commercial evaluation system to be the mobile number portability service provider (MNPSP). The company will bring in the technical infrastructure to fulfill its primary function as clearinghouse for the three telcos and ensuring smooth implementation of number porting services.
