The Philippines’ full rollout of mobile number portability (MNP) has been further delayed by the logistical problems caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) deputy commissioner Edgardo Cabarios is cited by the Malaga Business Insight as saying. In an interview, Cabarios pointed out that the widespread quarantine imposed in the country since March 2020 has ‘limited the movement of the clearing house tapped to finish the back-end of the scheme’.
The Republic Act 11202, also known as the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) Act, was signed in February 2019, while the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) were issued on 11 June 2019 and took effect on 2 July 2019. Whilst the two dominant operators Globe Telecom and Smart Communications have started to allow MNP within their respective networks – albeit only for subscribers shifting from pre-paid to post-paid – they are yet to allow it for anyone wishing to switch network provider, Cabarios said, due to ‘the community quarantine’.