Ofcom to speed up number porting

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The time taken to transfer a number between mobile providers could drop to a couple of hours, according to proposals set out by telecoms watchdog Ofcom.

The watchdog said in a statement that, while it has already reduced the time taken for number transferral - known as ‘porting’ - from five to two working days, it believes that it could be achieved even more quickly.

It has suggested this could happen as quickly as two hours, ideally, or at the very least, within one working day.

However, as revealed by our sister title, PC Pro, the rather slow moving Ofcom originally proposed this time reduction two years ago, with the original deadline being 1 September 2009.

Under the proposals, customers would no longer have to obtain a Porting Authorisation Code (PAC) from their current supplier, but would instead just be able to go straight to the new provider, who would sort out the transfer process.

The report suggests that that many providers do not quickly pass on the PAC to customers, as it can only mean they are likely to lose business.

“We have found evidence that suggests consumers can face difficulties and delays in obtaining a PAC from their current provider,” the report states. “The extent of this problem varies considerably between providers and users and can delay porting significantly for some consumers.”

It added: "Hopefully this move will make it even easier for consumers to switch providers without fear of losing their number, many of which have had the same number for as long as they have had a mobile phone."

However, not everyone is impressed with Ofcom’s focus on this particular issue. “One would have thought that it’s not a huge problem,” said Rob Bamforth, principal analyst for Quocirca. “But people are so tethered to their mobiles these days that being without it even for a day starts to be a challenge”.

Bamforth added: “I would have thought that there are bigger issues for Ofcom to fry - such as ‘not very digital Britain’, and looking at mobile roaming charges."

The consultation is looking for views on whether the current arrangement - known as ‘donor-led’, where a user has to request the PAC - is sufficient. The deadline for responses is 26 October.

Last month, Conservative party leader David Cameron said that if his party was elected Ofcom’s powers would be slimmed down, or the organisation even disbanded.

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