Mobile phone users appear to be unaware of the law allowing a phone number to be used regardless of the service provider, prompting the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to urge a review of the mobile number portability (MNP) law.

The framework cites underwhelming consumer uptake and rising system costs as key concerns in its latest policy review.

In a strategic policy dialogue held on 9 July with Telecommunications Connectivity Inc. (TCI) — the company that manages the clearinghouse for mobile number porting — the PCC shared the results of its competition impact assessment of Republic Act 11202, also known as the MNP Act.

Since the rollout of MNP services on September 30, 2021, fewer than 100,000 mobile subscribers — just 0.10 percent of the national total — have switched carriers while retaining their numbers, according to PCC’s findings. This figure lags significantly behind MNP adoption rates in other countries.

The Commission attributed the low uptake largely to weak public awareness, with only 5 percent of surveyed users familiar with the law that allows them to retain their numbers when moving between service providers.

Not gaining traction

Despite the slow traction, the PCC emphasized that the MNP Act plays a vital role in promoting competition by lowering switching barriers and giving consumers greater flexibility. However, the policy’s full impact has yet to materialize due to limited uptake.

The agency’s review also recommended revisiting the existing agreement between TCI and its current technology partner to address cost inefficiencies, particularly the high maintenance costs of unused system capacity.

TCI officials, for their part, acknowledged the awareness gap and pledged to ramp up marketing efforts. The company also confirmed that it is exploring a renegotiation of its tech partnership to boost system efficiency and reduce operational expenses.

The PCC stated that it will continue to use its competition impact assessments and strategic dialogues to evaluate how regulations affect market behavior, part of its broader commitment under the National Competition Policy to foster a level playing field across all sectors.