According to the Department of Telecom, the service of switching mobile network but still keep the number is provided by telecommunication provider to their subscribers, which allows users to change their mobile network while maintain their current mobile phone number including the initial code and the number.
Specifically, user still use their mobile phone in normal way without any change in dial to switched – network mobile phone number. This kind of services has been first offered to customers in 1997 in Singapore. Until 2000, US, Australia and other Asian countries have begun implementing this service.
As of present, the service is available in 70 countries all around the world and becoming a trend in the telecommunication market, including South East Asia region such as Thailand, Malaysia and Laos. In the context of the rapid development of Vietnam’s telecommunication market in recent years, the Ministry of Information & Communications has instructed the Department of Telecom and related services providers to cooperate and implement the service of keeping number while switching network to customers. According to the Department of Telecom, this service will bring numerous benefits to the market.
Firstly, customer can now choose the most suitable service provider to their needs. During the use process, customer with their current contact number will no longer have needs to change the phone number, despite the service quality, customer service and other added value services may not meet their demands. This solution will solve the above – mentioned issue and meet the diversified needs of customers.
Secondly, keeping number while switching network will improve the competitiveness in the telecommunication market and protect customers’ rights. As facing the risks of customer changing network to competitors, service provider will have to increase the service quality and reduce price for customers to compete with each other.
All of these will make service providers to list out quality criteria and customer services to their top priorities. As such, they will have to invest in equipment, innovate technology for service quality improvement, diversifying services and products, continuously announcing and giving out data to prove the technical specification of their network is up to, or even exceed standard, as a way to prove the quality of their services.
Thirdly, for the society and the rapid development of telecommunication, keeping number while switching network will create a new trend of individualize phone number, connecting customer with a long term phone number, which will be the foundation for the development of new services such as e-commerce and e-wallet. Besides, the individualizing phone number will somehow relieve pressure and the current limited pool number. At present, service providers are investing equipment and piloting technologies for the implementation of the policy keeping number while switching network.
