About Full Mobile Number Portability

What is Full Mobile Number Portability?

Full Mobile Number Portability is an enhanced mobile number portability solution that will allow you to retain full use of your existing phone number, even when you switch service providers. As such, you will not have to go through the hassle of updating all your contacts on a new number from your new service provider.

Both pre-paid and post-paid mobile subscribers can make use of this solution to retain their original phone numbers but between pre-paid to pre-paid and between post-paid to post-paid mobile subscribers only.

Full Mobile Number Portability will be provided by all mobile service providers from 13 June 2008.

How is Full Mobile Number Portability different from the current mobile number portability solution?

The current mobile number portability scheme is based on a call-forwarding solution. As such, subscribers will possess two mobile numbers (the original mobile number and the new mobile number issued by the new service provider which they switched to). A call made to the original number at the previous service provider will be forwarded to the new number under the call-forwarding approach. When a subscriber under the call-forwarding solution makes a call or sends an SMS, the new number will be reflected on the recipient's phone. Furthermore, the subscriber will not be able to receive MMSes on his original number with the call-forwarding solution.

Also, the call-forwarding solution only applies to post-paid mobile subscribers.

Full Mobile Number Portability will eliminate these limitations, and also extend mobile number portability to pre-paid mobile subscribers.

Who can enjoy Full Mobile Number Portability?

All mobile customers can make use of Full Mobile Number Portability.

However, if you have terminated your mobile service or if your mobile service has been suspended, you may not be able to use Full Mobile Number Portability to regain the number that had been given up during the service suspension/termination.

How long will it take to activate the ported number?

Typically, it will take one working day (not inclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays) to activate the ported number. This means that you will be able to use your existing number on your new service provider's network by the next working day from when your porting request was submitted. However, do understand that this timeframe will be subject to approval from the original service providers and the volume of requests for the day.


Will I experience any service disruption when I switch mobile service provider using Full Mobile Number Portability?

There will be some service disruption when your number is being switched over from your old service provider's network to your new service provider's network. This process typically includes deactivation and activation of your number in the previous and new service providers' networks. Depending on the volume of porting requests, the service disruption may take up to 3 hours. Mobile service providers will endeavour to minimise service disruption when they switch your number to your new service provider's network.