Phone users able to keep number when switching companies

Telecommunications Commission head Douglas Webb today ruled phone users will be able to keep their phone number after switching companies.

Number portability has been a thorny issue for customers and companies for years with Telecom resisting by contending it owned the numbers. Following protracted industry negotiations, the new regime will come into force on April 1, 2007.

Mr Webb has requested companies introduce the scheme earlier.

His determination released today sets out the standards for implementing industry-wide telephone number portability in New Zealand, and a formula for allocating between carriers the cost of providing the number portability services.

While local number portability is currently available to some customers, the determination sets a path for an efficient industry-wide solution that will provide number portability for all local and cellular users.

"Universal number portability will improve competition in the local and cellular markets," Mr Webb said.

Mr Webb said the decision was binding on all companies.

"Everyone accepts that there is to be full number portability -- it's got to happen. This has, obviously, a very long history to it," he told NZPA.

Mr Webb said the industry had accepted for some time that there would be number portability. The most recent debate had been on who paid the costs. Industry participants were unable to agree on costs so the commission made a ruling.

The commission decided that the costs of setting up the switching system would be shared across the industry on a market share basis and the costs of switching an individual customer be paid by the operator that wins the customer.

"There have been arguments as usual in this industry but the decision has been made and that settles the matter," said Mr Webb.

Telecom was not immediately available to comment.

- NZPA