OREANDA-NEWS. September 05, 2013. Since the days when the portability services became available in mobile and fixed networks- July 1, 2013 and July 31, 2013 respectively, 11,520 mobile numbers and 230 fixed numbers have been ported, the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technologies reports. During this period, it was registered over 13,000 applications for having a number ported, including 12,800 applications for mobile numbers and over 300 for fixed ones.

About 1,400 applications are being considered. ANRCEDTI Director Grigore Varanita announces the results of the launch satisfactory. Meeting all expectations, most numbers have been ported within mobile networks. According to the ANRCETI Director, the main goal of the launch has been achieved - there have been more rivalry on the market, which is surely advantageous for subscribers. It was for the first time in Moldova that three mobile communication providers offered their subscribers an unlimited number of minutes for calling to any mobile and fixed telephony network available during the year. Making the offers concurred with launching the portability service.

Advantages of the phone number portability have already become tangible for subscribers. Before the launch of the service, they had to pay about 100 to 200 lei and, sometimes, even up to 1,000 lei a month for calls within the network and for calls to other networks; besides, sometimes extra money for extra minutes had to be paid. Since now, they have to pay for the bundle of services including an unlimited number of minutes for calls.

On the other hand, using the mobile communication bundled services with an unlimited number of minutes for calling encourages a growth in voice traffic per user (MoU). In its turn, a higher MoU will trigger an increase in the Average Revenue per User (ARPU), because the price for the package with an unlimited number of minutes is more than twice as much as ARPU registered in the mobile communication service (67.2 lei). ANRCETI is going to further monitor the portability of pone numbers and to assume due measures to identify, solve and prevent any problems in this process, Grigore Varanita said. Portability of numbers is a service which gives subscribers an opportunity to keep their phone numbers unchanged if they decide to switch over to other provider.

The evaluation report on the portability service in Moldova is to be published in October, ANRCETI says.