Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones

New rules of number portability issued by the IFT remove requirements and users can exercise this right in a faster an agile manner

The Federal Institute of Telecommunications (Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones, IFT) Plenary issued today new rules for number portability, which will allow users of fixed and mobile telephony that wish to switch from provider retaining their phone number to do so more easily and quickly.

Thus, the IFT comply in a timely manner with its legal mandate to issue, within 60 working days of the publication of the Federal Telecommunications and Broadcasting Law, administrative rules needed to eliminate requirements that may delay or prevent number portability and thereby enable users to realize this process in a maximum of 24 hours.

Number portability is the right of users to choose the telephone company that offers the best conditions of service, and to change this as many times as the user wants to, but without losing her/his phone number, and over 17 million lines in Mexico have exerted from 2008, year in which this mechanism was implemented. Now, the IFT issues new rules for effective portability, with fewer steps and in less time than it currently takes to perform this process.

In this regard, it is important to consider that to implement these new provisions, the telephone service concessionaires must meet a series of actions and technical procedures in their networks and equipment, including supporting evidence, and changes to plans marking and numbering. However, while the various steps required are depleted to develop new systems —what should occur no later than 90 calendar days—, the rules provide that a publication from the day:

• The requirement applied to users of fixed and mobile lines to present postpaid bill and contract, requiring only the submission of an official identification and expression of will of the applicant is deleted.

• Only a user ID and his/her consent is required.

• Deadlines are reduced: the portability of both fixed and mobile lines in any form will be made no later than 3 days.

The new measures mentioned shall apply immediately, once published in the Federal Official Gazette (Diario Oficial de la Nación, DOF) the Agreement by which the IFT Plenary issued the rules of number portability. Also, within 90 calendar days for the entry into force of these rules is established, counted from publication in the Federal Official Gazette. This period will allow executing the following actions strictly necessary for the porting process to reach the goal of 24 hours without compromising the continuity of communications:

• In 5 calendar days: Convene and constitute a Technical Committee in matters of portability, numbering and signaling, involving all service providers with numbers assigned to design the technical specifications and Operational specifications for implementing portability in the country, so it is achieved in an orderly and coordinated manner.

• In 10 calendar days: new technical parameters that apply to the processes of communication and information exchange between systems companies participating in the process of portability must be defined.

• In 60 calendar days: to make adjustments and develop technical solutions to enable communication and interoperability between operating systems providers of telecommunications services and the Administrator of the database.

• In 15 days: in order to verify the correct performance of the adaptations and new functionalities of the systems of telephone companies and the Administrator of the Data Base the necessary tests should be performed.

Meeting these deadlines will implement portability effectively, as stipulated by Law, and according to international best practices.

Upon completion of these stages (within a maximum period of 90 calendar days), users wishing to port their numbers may make number portability with additional benefits to those already mentioned:

• The user will have the possibility to directly collect all the requirements for starting the process of portability and not depend on a provider to complete the process.

• All users can port the number in a maximum of 24 hours.

• A PIN (Personal Identification Number) confirmation will be given to validate the willingness of users in portability to all users, including fixed service and mobile postpaid.

• You can keep your same number if you move to another city (with the same company or with another provider, as selected).

• Just present an ID and manifestation of the will of the user.

• A system is instrumented so that the user can keep track of your application porting by dialing 051.

• In case telephone lines are corporate entities, holders must verify that the bearing is requested by the representative or legal guardian.

• Traders will be directly involved in the processes of portability.

• Concessionaires will be responsible for the costs of upgrading network elements and systems to allow portability.

With the issuance of these rules, the provisions of Article Thirty-Eighth Transitory Decree which was issued the LFTR, but more importantly, the necessary measures for making effective rights of the users which has been the axis rector of the performance of IFT since its integration, are complied.