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Conditions for portability
The number conservation (portability) is an essential right of subscribers to the publicly available telephone service. The regulations establish that operators must ensure that subscribers can retain their telephone number, upon request, regardless of the operator providing the service.
At CNMC, we are responsible for establishing the characteristics and technical conditions for the conservation of both fixed and mobile numbering.
We do this by issuing:
1) circulars that govern the essential principles
2) technical specifications on the specific procedures that operators must follow to carry out portabilities.
Thus, on this matter, we have approved the circulars on:
- The principles that must govern portability. Circular 1/2008, of June 19
- Verbal consent with third-party verification in the contracting of regulated wholesale fixed communications services. Circular 1/2009
- Consent in number conservation requests. Circular 1/2012, of March 16
Regarding the technical specifications, the technical specifications for portability in fixed networks (applicable to geographic and special rate numbers) and in mobile networks (applicable to mobile numbers) have been published separately. In turn, both specifications are divided into two: (i) network technical specification and (ii) administrative procedures technical specification.
The new General Telecommunications Law establishes that: changes of operator should be promoted to be done wirelessly (without changing the SIM card) and the procedure must be specified so that users can change internet service operators even if they do not have an associated phone number.
