The Instituto das Comunicações de Portugal (ICP) has launched a public consultation for operators and consumers concerning number portability. Contributions from interested parties should be sent to ICP until March 15, after which they will be publicly disseminated.
The contributions will serve as a basis for enriching the proposal for the introduction of number portability that ICP will make to the Portuguese Government. The new function offers benefits to residential and business customers, and also promotes competition by eliminating a factor that might otherwise dissuade customers from switching between telecommunications operators.
The consultation aims to define the interest held by companies and the general public in the introduction of portability, as well as the timetable considered to be most appropriate, the scope of introduction and the manner in which the resulting costs may be borne.
Number portability, already anticipated in the National Numbering Plan, consists in the option to maintain the same telephone number when customers switch between service providers. The function may be offered in both fixed and mobile networks.
The function offer benefits to both those making and receiving calls. In the case of companies, it offers several advantages including elimination of the need to communicate new contact numbers and update databases.
Contributions to this public consultation should be sent via electronic mail to: portabilidade@icp.pt.
