Ofcom wants faster number porting
Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, wants the time it takes to switch a mobile number from one operator to another to be reduced from two days to two hours.
They hope to stimulate competition between networks in the customers favour. It is felt that customers are put off switching by the thought of a 48 hour delay. There are already strong incentives to move to other networks simply based on the very competitive tariffs avaialble but Ofcom want to back this up with a much faster switching process.
The move is likely to be resisted by the operators and retailers, all of whom would have to invest time and energy in systems and processes were they to be forced to speed up this process. It would undoubtedly create a cleaner purer market but operators are likely to argue that the extra cost involved in introducing such a system would mean increased costs that would have to be passed onto the consumer.
The news comes on the eve of a year that is likely to see alot of developments in the industry most notably the much publicised merger between Orange and T-Mobile which will create a network giant with almost 30 million customers, nearly half the population of the UK.