The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) reported that less than 0.1 percent of subscribers have used free mobile number portability (MNP) services since the law’s inception on Sept. 30, 2021.
By the end of 2024, fewer than 100,000, or about 0.10 percent, of total subscribers had switched telecom providers while keeping their original mobile numbers, the PCC said.
“This is significantly lower than those reported in most jurisdictions with MNP. The low uptake may be attributed to limited public awareness of the MNP Act, with only 5 percent of surveyed respondents indicating familiarity with the law,” the agency said.
Despite the low adoption, the PCC’s study affirmed that the MNP Act expands consumer choice and encourages competitive behavior among mobile service providers (MSPs).
The commission also noted the need to revisit the current agreement between Telecommunications Connectivity Incorporated (TCI) and its technology partner. This is to address the high cost of maintaining unused capacity of the facility managing the systems behind number porting.
TCI, which serves as the MNP “clearing house” managing technical systems and coordinating the porting process across networks, acknowledged the lack of public awareness. It shared ongoing efforts to improve awareness and expressed openness to relaunching the service to refresh its marketing and promotional efforts.
Discussions to renegotiate the contract with the current technology partner are also underway. The aim is to offer better value and integration flexibility, reduce costs and improve service delivery.
The PCC reaffirmed its commitment to supporting competition in the telecommunications sector through continued policy advocacy and research.
The PCC’s competition impact assessment is a policy review tool designed to examine the pro- and anti-competitive effects of regulations in various industries.
The commission said it continues to initiate sector policy dialogues (SPDs) to address key competition policy issues across various sectors, in line with the objectives of the National Competition Policy.
