Almost to the finish line
Congress has officially approved on the third reading a bill that allows mobile phone subscribers to switch networks without having to change their numbers.
House Bill 7652 or Mobile Number Portability if passed into law, will require all Public Telecommunications Entities (PTEs) to provide subscribers the option to retain their current mobile numbers when changing networks, free of charge.
The house voted 216-0 without abstentions in favor of the bill.
Aside from allowing subscribers to retain their old number even if they switch networks, the bill also allows customers to switch from postpaid to prepaid or vice-versa while still retaining the same number within 24 hours from the time that a subscriber completes the application.
Penalties for non-compliance are as follows:
Php 100,000 to Php 300,000 for the first offense;
Php 400,000 to Php 600,000 for the second offense ; and
Php 700,000 to Php 1 million for subsequent offense and revocation of their franchise to operate.
A similar bill, called the “The Lifetime Cellphone Number Act,” was passed in the Senate back in February.
The bills will now go to the conference committee of both houses for ratification before it’s sent to the President for signing.
