Bicam approves bill that will enable use of same cellphone number for life

(Eagle News) — A bicameral conference committee has approved a bill that would allow cellphone users to keep their numbers for life even if they switch to a different service provider.

“Kung ang third telco ay nagbaba ng presyo, nagbigay ng mas magandang service, hindi na tayo mahihirapang lumipat sa kahit anong telco,” Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, said.

He said the measure, once it becomes law, will apply to prepaid and postpaid users.

He said the National Telecommunications Commission will have six months to come up with the implementing rules and regulations of the measure, once it becomes law.

“This law was conceived because we want to improve the competition and nakita namin na kahit pumasok ang third telco, kung walang ganitong batas, mahihirapan siyang kumuha ng mga customers because yung mga customers ng Globe at Smart, embedded na,” Gatchalian said.

Mislatel, a consortium composed of Udenna Corp., its subsidiary Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp. and China Telecommunications Corp., was named the country’s provisional third telco player.

SEAR Telecom and Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (PT&T) were disqualified because of their failure to meet some requirements.

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