It is widely acknowledged that there are problems with the process for fixed number portability in the UK and it is an issue which Comms Council UK members continue to work on. One specific area of concern has been the establishment of service agreements. Calls to ported numbers are required to route via the original Range Holder, and then onward to the current service provider (rather than being directly routed to the current SP). To achieve this, the Range Holder and the new service provider must engage in negotiations to agree conveyance charges and routing plans. These typically take six months to a year, but can take up to two years.
Following discussions amongst Comms Council UK members and within wider industry groups, a standard industry contract for transit porting has been produced. This is only a template document and does not mean that alterations cannot be made by the communication providers involved in any contract negotiations. However it should help save valuable time and provide a useful starting point for establishing service between two network operators and thereby make it quicker and easier for consumers to switch providers.
Comms Council UK will continue to push on Ofcom and the industry to help find a more long term, viable solution on this issue.
If you have any queries, please contact the Secretariat at team@commscouncil.uk
The Standard Industry Transit Porting Contract can be found here.
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