Gatchalian warns telcos: Hasten mobile number portability implementation or face sanctions

Senator Win Gatchalian issued a stern warning to the telecommunications companies against attempts to further delay the already forestalled implementation of the Mobile Number Portability Act (MNPA), saying that they will be meted out with appropriate penalties.

The MNPA, otherwise known as Republic Act No. 11202 or the Act Requiring Mobile Service Providers To Provide Nationwide Mobile Number Portability To Subscribers, imposes as much as P1 million fine to telcos and revocation of their franchises to operate if they would repeatedly and unjustly refuse to implement the portability within the period allowed under the said law, Gatchalian said.

The MNPA allows subscribers to transfer from one service provider to another without changing their mobile numbers free of charge.

Gatchalian said that the law should have been carried out as early as January 2020 since the law was signed in February 2019 and the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) issued in June 2019.

But in a letter to the senator by the telcos in December 2019, Globe Telecom, Smart Communications and Dito Telecommunity explained that they need an independent third party contractor to manage mobile porting services to ensure better interoperability and might take until July this year to set up the whole mechanism. A telco representative, during Wednesday's Senate Public Services committee hearing, said that telcos will start the interoperability test in June this year and will carry out the full commercial launch by September. They cited the pandemic as the reason behind the revised timeline.

"The current situation should enable our consumers to easily shift without much of a fuss to another network that offer better services especially since our daily grind is practically dependent nowadays on telcos' services," Gatchalian, principal author of the landmark legislation, said.

"Hindi pa tayo tinatamaan ng pandemya nung naisabatas ito. Ngayon, inabutan na tayo ng COVID-19 at may ibang variant na. The National Telecommunications Commission should see to it that telcos strictly follow the law," he ended.

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Babala ni Gatchalian sa telcos: Madaliin ang pagpapatupad ng Mobile Number Portability Act o humarap sa parusa

Dala ng kasalukuyang sitwasyon, nagbabala si Senador Win Gatchalian sa mga telecommunication companies na madaliin na ang pagpapatupad ng Mobile Number Portability Act (MNPA) na layong payagan ang mga subscribers na lumipat sa ibang service provider ng libre at hindi na kailangan pang palitan ang kasalukuyang cellphone number.

"Sa panahon ngayon na nakadepende ang lahat ng galaw natin sa serbisyo ng mga telcos, wala nang dapat sagabal pa sa pagpapalit ng service provider lalo na kung nais nating lumipat sa kumpanyang may mas maayos na pamamalakad, " ayon kay Gatchalian na siyang pangunahing may-akda ng naturang batas.

"Hindi pa tayo tinatamaan ng pandemya nung naisabatas ito. Ngayon, inabutan na tayo ng COVID-19 at may bagong variant na. Kailangang siguruhin ng National Telecommunications Commissiom na mahigpit na ipinapatupad ng telcos ang batas", dagdag pa ng mambabatas.

Dapat naipatupad na ang batas nuon pang Enero ng nakaraang taon ani Gatchalian, lalo na't Pebrero ng 2019 pa ito napirmahan ng Pangulo at Hunyo ng 2019 din lumabas ang Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

Pero sa isang liham na ipinadala ng telcos kay Gatchalian noon pang Disyembre ng 2019, sinabi ng Globe Telecom, Smart Communications at Dito Telecommunity na Hulyo ng 2021 pa nila maipapatupad ang naturang batas dahil kailangan pa nila ng isang independent third party contractor para pamahalaan ang mobile porting services para sa mas maayos na pagse-setup ng interoperability. Sa pagdinig naman ng Senate Public Services committee noong Miyerkules, inamin ng kinatawan ng isang telco company na mauurong pa sa Setyembre ng taon ang full commercial operation nila dahil sa Hunyo pa maisasagawa ang interoperability test. Ang COVID-19 ang itinuturong dahilan ng pagbabago ng kanilang timeline.

Samantala, iminungkahi na rin ni Gatchalian ang pagsasabatas ng Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act para mas mabilis na mahuli ang mga manloloko at kriminal. Iminungkahi din niya ang pagtatanggal ng validity period ng mga prepaid load credits para sa mga mobile phones at internet services o ang panukalang Prepaid Load Forever Act. Si Gatchalian ang may akda ng dalawang panukalang batas.