The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Regulations on the Management of Number Portability Services": Nine types of behaviors are strictly prohibited

[[282065]]

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently issued the "Regulations on the Management of Number Portability Services". In the process of providing number portability services, telecommunications business operators are strictly prohibited from refusing, blocking, or delaying the provision of number portability services to users without justifiable reasons; interfering with users' free choice after users have submitted an application for number portability, and other nine behaviors.

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

Notice on Issuing the Regulations on Number Portability Services

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Information Management [2019] No. 242

Communications Administration Bureaus of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, China Telecom Corporation Limited, China Mobile Communications Corporation Limited, China Unicom Corporation Limited, China Radio and Television Network Corporation Limited, and other relevant entities:

The "Regulations on the Management of Number Portability Services" are now issued to you. Please follow them conscientiously.

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

November 11, 2019

Provisions on the Administration of Number Portability Services

These Regulations are formulated in accordance with the Telecommunications Regulations of the People's Republic of China, the Telecommunications Service Specifications and relevant laws and regulations in order to strengthen the management of number portability services, improve the quality of industry services, and continuously enhance the people's sense of gain.

1. Telecommunications business operators shall follow the principles of convenience for users, fairness, honesty, trustworthiness, and coordination and cooperation, establish and improve the service system, implement corporate principal responsibilities, and provide users with high-quality number portability services.

2. The number portability service referred to in these regulations refers to a service in which cellular mobile communication users (excluding Internet of Things users) change the basic telecommunications business operators they sign contracts with within the same local network while the user number remains unchanged.

3. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Communications Administration Bureaus of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government (hereinafter collectively referred to as telecommunications management agencies) shall supervise and manage number portability services in accordance with laws and regulations.

4. Users may apply to telecommunications business operators to transfer their number to other networks in accordance with these regulations.

5. Telecom business operators shall provide users with convenient number portability services, clarify the service conditions and procedures and make them public.

6. Telecom business operators shall treat users who transfer their numbers as new users of the network, strictly implement relevant regulations on real-name registration of telephone users, and ensure that users who transfer their numbers enjoy equal rights under the same conditions.

7. Telecommunications business operators shall, through appropriate means, clearly inform users of the risks and losses they may face when applying for number portability services and obtain user confirmation.

8. Comprehensively promoting number portability is an important measure to implement the people-centered development concept. Telecommunications business operators should take the realization, maintenance and development of the fundamental interests of the vast majority of users as the starting point and foothold, combine serving the people with meeting their needs, and do a good job in implementing relevant policies. Telecommunications business operators should abide by relevant laws and regulations and jointly maintain a healthy and orderly market environment; they should cooperate with each other to ensure the normal handling of users' number portability services and the quality of communication services after number portability.

IX. Telecommunications business operators shall not engage in the following conduct when providing number portability services:

1. Refuse, block or delay providing number portability services to users without justifiable reasons;
2. Interfering with the user's free choice after the user applies for number portability;
3. Unauthorized expansion of the scope of online term agreements, defaulting the validity period of agreements and marketing activity periods without online term restrictions to the agreed online term, and restricting users from porting their numbers to other networks;
4. Adopting technical means such as interception and restriction to affect the communication service quality of number portability users;
5. Carry out comparative publicity in the promotion of number portability services and related tariff plans, mention the names (including abbreviations, logos) and tariff plans of other telecommunications operators, etc.; fabricate and disseminate false or misleading information about number portability, conceal or downplay restrictions, exaggerate preferential items or the impact of number portability, deceive and mislead users, and defame other telecommunications operators;
6. Set up special rate plans and marketing plans for number portability users;
7. Using malicious means such as processing number portability on behalf of customers and filing complaints on behalf of customers to hinder or disrupt the normal operation of number portability services provided by other telecommunications operators;
8. The user continues to occupy the ported number after logging off the network;
9. Other violations.

10. Telecommunications business operators shall formulate detailed rules for number portability services in accordance with these Regulations and announce them to the public in a timely manner, and report them to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology at the same time.

11. Telecommunications business operators shall comply with relevant national laws, regulations, policies and standards and simultaneously ensure network and information security.

12. Users shall cooperate with telecommunications business operators to carry out identity information consistency verification and other related work in accordance with the law.

13. Telecommunications regulatory agencies shall supervise and inspect the number portability services of telecommunications operators.

14. Any violation of these regulations shall be dealt with by the telecommunications management agency in accordance with the "Telecommunications Regulations of the People's Republic of China" and other relevant regulations.

15. These Regulations shall come into force on December 1, 2019. The "Administrative Measures for the Trial of Mobile Phone User Number Portability" (MIIT Dianguanhan [2014] No. 144) shall be repealed at the same time.