The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today issued a discussion paper on number portability for National Rate and Premium Rate services.
Number portability is the ability of customers to change their network provider and/or service provider while retaining the same service number. The absence of number portability effectively locks many customers into a particular service provider by making it expensive and inconvenient for consumers to switch providers.
National Rate services are in the 170X number range. It is envisaged that these services will complement the existing range of non-geographic services (that is, Freephone, Local and Premium Rate services). Premium Rate services are in the 190X number range. These services provide customers with access to various forms of information, such as recorded audio, live advice, human interaction and facsimile service.
"There appear to be benefits to competition if the ACCC mandates number portability for National Rate and Premium Rate services", ACCC Commissioner with responsibility for telecommunications, Mr Rod Shogren, said today. "Further, the costs of implementing number portability for these services may be relatively low, if the same method of providing number portability for Freephone and Local Rate is used".
National Rate and Premium Rate services are charged at higher rates than Freephone and Local Rate services.
National Rate services will have call charges which are greater than the call cost of a local call but less than the cost of the highest national long distance call using a standard public telephone service (excluding a public mobile service). Premium Rate services have no limit applying to call charges.
The ACCC can give written directions to the Australian Communications Authority in relation to the rules the ACA can include in the Numbering Plan regarding number portability. In September 1997, the ACCC mandated number portability for Freephone and Local Rate services. At that time, the ACCC stated that it would consider mandating number portability for Premium Rate services in the future.
Comments on the discussion paper are sought by 14 August 2000. The ACCC intends to issue a decision on number portability for these services by October 2000. The discussion paper will be available on the ACCC web-site: www.accc.gov.au, on the telecommunications page.