VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) has decided that Viettel, MobiFone and VinaPhone, the three largest mobile network operators, will apply NMNP (National Mobile Number Portability) from January 1, 2017, though telcos want more delays.

 

MIC’s Deputy Minister Pham Hong Hai said MNP has been used for a long time globally, and it is now the right time for Vietnam to protect subscribers. 

He said the targeted date of application would be January 1, 2017. In the immediate time, MNP will be used for subscribers of the three largest networks.

A representative from MIC’s Telecommunication Agency said that subscribers will be able to retain all their subscription numbers when shifting to use other networks. 

For example, Viettel’s subscribers with current subscription numbers 098xxxxxxx, 097xxxxxxx, 096xxxxxx will have their subscription numbers of 098xxxxxxx, 097xxxxxxx, 096xxxxxx unchanged when becoming VinaPhone’s subscribers.

Similarly, MobiFone’s subscribers with current subscription numbers 090xxxxxxx and 093xxxxxxx will have their numbers unchanged when they become Vettel's subscribers.

As such, when MNP is applied, the mobile network operators’ brands will no longer be shown by the first prefix numbers (091, 093, 098…). The subscription numbers starting with 091 are reserved for VinaPhone subscribers, while the numbers starting with 098 are reserved for Vettel's subscribers.

Prior to that, some local newspapers reported that subscribers could only keep the last seven numbers of subscription numbers only, and would have the other prefix numbers symbolizing new networks.

Nguyen Phong Nha, head of the Telecommunication Agency, said that the building of a database at the national network center would be completed by December 2015, when everything would then be ready for a trial run. 

Telcos would be able to make technical connections with the telecom agency by that time to prepare for MNP.

Nha said that the database for MNP will be powerful enough to ensure 4 million subscribers can switch to other networks within three years.

The national switching center will serve as the pivotal unit of the system to deploy MNP service in Vietnam. 

When a subscriber sends a request to switch to a new network, the new network will have to convey the request to the switching center. The switching center then will contact the subscriber’s old network to verify information about the subscriber. The old network, after checking information, will reject or accept the MNP and reply to the switching network.

Technical operations will be carried out later among A and B networks and the switching center, while information about the subscriber’s routing will be saved in the database and updated to all network operators.

Buu Dien