Ofcom wants to make it quicker and easier for customers to move their mobile number to a different network – a process known as Mobile Number Portability (MNP). It’s already cut the transfer time to two working days and says the UK now has shorter ‘porting’ times than many European countries – but points out that new EU regulations could require next-day porting and is asking for interested parties to offer their opinions on future MNP options within the next few weeks.
Ofcom’s previous attempts to reduce porting times from two days to two hours were disputed by the Competition Appeal Tribunal, which said Ofcom needed to reconsider its plans. The regulator has put forward four new possibilities in its current document. [Consultation documents]