Plaudits for telco regulator
There’s no doubt that the country’s biggest telecommunications firms have improved their services significantly in recent years, especially after the Duterte administration used the threat of a third telco player to disrupt the complacency that used to plague the industry duopoly.
But the improvement in the country’s telco services is expected to receive another boost after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) completed the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the so-called Mobile Number Portability Act.
This law was passed in March and was meant to foster greater competition among telco firms—meaning Globe Telecom and Smart Communications—by allowing subscribers to transfer their accounts to another firm without having to change mobile numbers.
That’s because, for the longest time, telcos were complacent that their subscribers would not migrate to a rival firm because changing mobile numbers (especially if one has had it for many years) would be too much of a hassle.
Well, no longer. Soon, a subscriber who’s unhappy with Smart can shift to Globe or vice versa while retaining his old number. No more worries about someone not being able to contact you because you changed numbers.
Biz Buzz learned that theNTC, under its chief, Gamaliel Cordo
ba, completed the IRR for the law as the weekend approached—a few days ahead of the agency’s 90-day deadline after the law was enacted—and is due to publish it today, for eventual implementation by the telcos.
Speaking of which, Cordoba and the agency recently received praise from a concerned citizen—a rare feat among government agencies that are usually on the receiving end of complaints, and not praise, from the public.
Information and Communications Technology Secretary
Eliseo Rio Jr. said that one private citizen had used the government complaints hotline (the Civil Service Commission’s Contact Center ng Bayan) to praise the NTC for its fast, efficient and courteous service.
The concerned citizen was particularly happy about the efficient process by which he was able to participate in an NTC seminar, take a licensure exam and have his licenses processed in an efficient and orderly manner.
The Civil Service Commission wrote the NTC a letter commending the agency and Corboda, saying it hoped the office would be inspired to continue rendering good service to the public. Well, for everyone’s sake, we hope the good vibes rub off on other government agencies, as well.