Participation in China's Number Portability Trials Slows to 1%
Sohu IT, 3/08/13
According to a recent report from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's (MIIT) Telecommunications Administration Bureau (TAB), number portability trials in Tianjin and Hainan slowed down greatly in H2 2012, with fewer than 1% of the more than 18 mln subscribers in the two regions applying for number portability. Only 36.7% of those who did apply for number portability trials ultimately switched mobile providers. When asked why they had given up on trying to change mobile operators through the trials, a majority of residents in Tianjin and Hainan said that the barrier for entry for number portability trials had been set too high and that the process was too complicated, and complained of high switching costs, value-added services not automatically transferring along with their numbers, and a lack of mobile operator engagement in the trials.
Xi Guohua, chairman of China Mobile (NYSE: CHL; 0941.HK), said in a recent interview that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) plans to expand number portability trials this year. Xi said, however, that technical requirements for number portability would require operators to make costly upgrades to their networks.
Editor's Note: For more background on this topic, please see "MIIT to Expand Mobile Number Portability Trials in 2013" MD 12/27/12 issue.
Keywords: Xi Guohua wireless number portability Telecommunications Administration Bureau MIIT trial
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