National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology of the Republic of Moldova

In 2017, mobile users continued to be the most active in the use of number portability service. According to the data of the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI), 28,8 thousand mobile users resorted to the number portability service last year, which represents 92% of the total number of number portability users.

The same data show that the total number of portability users last year was 31,2 thousand, of which 2,3 thousand (8%) - fixed telephony users. The small number of ported fixed numbers is explained by lack of alternative fixed networks with national coverage and technical impossibility of subscribers connected by means of analogue technologies to use the number portability service.

Compared to 2016, the total number of ported numbers decreased by 5,6 thousand (-15%) and the average monthly ported numbers decreased from 3 thousand, in 2016 to 2,6 thousand in 2017. This is due to the tendency of balancing the offers, including the tariffs, offered by mobile providers, due to which service users have fewer reasons to migrate from one supplier to another.

From 28,8 thousand mobile numbers ported in 2017, biggest part – over 11 thousand – were ported to JSC "Moldcell". More than 10,000 numbers were ported to JSC Orange Moldova and 7,2 thousand – to JSC "Moldtelecom" (Unite). From 2,3 thousand ported fixed numbers, most of migrated to the fixed telephony networks of "Starnet Solutions" (697 numbers), "Moldtelecom" (338 numbers) and "Orange Moldova" (264 numbers).

In the four and a half years since the launch of the number portability service (July 2013), a total of 182,1 thousand numbers have been ported, of which over 166,9 thousand are mobile numbers (91,6% of the total) and about 15,2 thousand – fixed numbers (8,3% of the total). Most numbers – 47,8 thousand – were ported in 2015. In six months of 2013 a total of 28,5 thousand numbers were ported, while in 2014 – 37,6 thousand, in 2016 – 36,9 thousand.

During this time, phone number portability has become an effective tool to ensure users' freedom of choosing providers and to enhance competition among providers who have become more receptive to the requirements of their customers and propose more attractive and advantageous offers for users.

The telephone number portability project was launched by ANRCETI jointly with the providers of telephone services in July 2013. According to the regulations issued by ANRCETI, any mobile and/or fixed telephone user can apply to the number portability service, by submitting a request to provider of his choice. In the Republic of Moldova the number portability service is free of charge for users. Other data on number portability are available on www.anrceti.md and www.portare.md.

January 3, 2018