The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has flagged low public awareness and massive unused system capacity as key constraints limiting the competitive impact of the country’s Mobile Number Portability (MNP) law, despite early signs that it nudged telecommunications firms to sharpen their game.
In a competition impact assessment of Republic Act No. 11202, the PCC found that the 2019 measure—which allows subscribers to switch mobile service providers (MSPs) without losing their numbers and free of charge—has encouraged more aggressive retention and acquisition strategies among telcos.
Providers rolled out online platforms showcasing new bundles, service upgrades and promotional offers, reflecting heightened sensitivity to customer churn.
Data from Telecommunications Connectivity Inc. (TCI), the central clearing house for porting applications, showed a surge of subscribers transferring to DITO Telecommunity during the law’s first 10 months of implementation—a boost for the country’s third major telco player.
But that early momentum fizzled.
Overall uptake has remained strikingly low. Less than 0.1 percent of registered mobile numbers availed of porting services within the first three years of implementation. Of the system’s annual capacity of 10 million porting slots, more than 99 percent went unused, pointing to significant excess capacity and potential inefficiencies.
A 2024 survey cited in the study underscores the awareness problem: roughly 80 percent of respondents said they were unfamiliar with the MNP law. Yet about one-third indicated they would consider switching providers if they knew they could retain their numbers — suggesting latent demand that remains untapped.
The PCC said the findings show that while MNP has introduced competitive pressure, its broader pro-consumer impact is constrained by limited public knowledge and possible structural frictions in the switching process.
To unlock the law’s full potential, the commission recommends coordinated awareness campaigns among regulators and industry players to reintroduce MNP to consumers. It also urged a reassessment of current porting capacity levels to reduce costs associated with underutilized infrastructure.
At the same time, the PCC cautioned against anti-competitive risks, including abuse of dominance, discriminatory conduct and improper handling of subscriber data as competition intensifies.
Five years after its passage, the MNP law has proven it can move the needle—but only barely. For now, the numbers suggest that portability exists more on paper than in practice.
