The key to number portability is to break the "routines" and use fewer "empty tricks"

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The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that the five provinces (cities) of Tianjin, Hainan, Jiangxi, Hubei and Yunnan will launch a new service acceptance process for number portability starting from December 1. Users can send text messages to check their number portability eligibility, and can officially port to a new operator within one hour (until the next hour) after completing the number portability service.

Number portability means that users can switch from one telecom operator's network to another without changing their mobile phone numbers, and enjoy the various communication services provided by the operator. The direct benefit of this move to consumers is that if they think a certain operator's charges are unreasonable or the service is not good, they can change operators without changing their mobile phone numbers. This is expected to greatly increase consumers' choice of "voting with their feet" and force operators to continuously improve their technology and service levels.

Nowadays, mobile phone numbers are far more than just a means of communication. Using mobile phone numbers to bind online accounts, bank accounts, stock accounts, etc. has largely become a tool for identity identification. Even if an ordinary person changes his mobile phone number, in addition to notifying relatives and friends one by one, he must also unbind and change the numbers reserved on various websites, banks and related service agencies, and even face the risk of account loss and fund theft. Therefore, for many people, the cost of changing mobile phone numbers is very high. Even if there are preferential policies from other operators, they dare not change their numbers easily. In this context, the number portability policy should help solve users' worries, and consumers have high expectations and eager anticipation for this policy.

There have been several rounds of pilots for number portability, but the road to reform has not been smooth and progress in related fields has been limited. In 2010, the first batch of number portability pilots of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology were launched in Tianjin and Hainan; in 2014, the second batch of number portability pilots further expanded the scope of the pilot and were launched in Jiangxi, Hubei and Yunnan. According to statistics, not many consumers have successfully ported their numbers, and the reform pilot has not been able to be expanded to the whole country. The re-launch of the pilot this time can be said to be another start for number portability. How far it can go remains to be seen, and some possible situations need to be arranged in advance.

According to the information currently released, after the new number portability process is launched, a method for checking number portability qualifications has been added, and users can check their number portability qualifications by sending text messages. In other words, consumers can "check with one click" whether their numbers can be ported, which can indeed avoid unnecessary trouble. However, which numbers can be ported, what are the specific standards, and on what basis are they formulated, etc., are still not disclosed. This raises a question. If a large number of numbers are excluded from number portability, does it mean that this benefit that consumers expect is at risk of being "intercepted" again? Some consumers online reported that they consulted the new process and received a reply that one of the rights and interests of the number package is until 2036, so number portability is temporarily not possible. Is this reasonable?

In fact, the speed-up and fee-reduction actions launched by operators in recent years have been accused of having too many "routines" in their implementation, which has greatly reduced the benefits of speed-up and fee-reduction that users actually get. For example, many packages are excluded from the scope of speed-up and fee-reduction. Consumers must upgrade to more expensive packages to enjoy the new tariff policy. There are also some packages that are called speed-up and fee-reduction, but in fact they are tricky. For example, the unlimited data package, which was once called the "king of scams" among various packages, is based on the premise of "speed limit" and is actually in name only.

Such "tricks" and "routines" are hard for consumers to guard against. They are not only a hidden infringement on consumer rights, but also undermine the benefits of speed increase and fee reduction. Promoting number portability is a very important reform action. Operators should truly implement the benefits that consumers have long been looking forward to, and avoid falling into the "routines" of some speed increase and fee reduction packages. Although it is said that in the context of intensified competition and falling rates, major operators are naturally reluctant to let users port their numbers easily, but if they blindly restrict number portability, not only will consumers not feel the benefits brought by operator competition, but some operators with poor services will also be satisfied with the status quo and complacent, accelerating the speed of falling behind and declining. This is by no means a good thing for operators.

With the re-launch of the reform pilot, we hope that major operators can use fewer "empty tricks" and completely remove those invisible barriers, so as to truly achieve "number portability is the norm, and number portability is the exception". At the same time, we should increase the transparency of the policy and give convincing reasons for what cannot be ported. The regulatory authorities should pay close attention to the specific results of the number portability pilot and the feedback from consumers, urge the smooth progress of the reform pilot, and promptly correct and prevent possible "hidden rules" and "routines".