Cenerva Shares Expertise in Number Portability

Public Consultation Report on Implementation of Fixed Number Portability (FNP) in Malaysia

The Malaysian telecommunications market is underpinned by its strong economic fundamentals and has a flourishing mobile market with four major network operators, plus a dominant fixed-line provider.

In December 2020 the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) issued a public consultation on the implementation of Fixed Number Portability (FNP) in Malaysia.

The findings of this public consultation have now been published. We are pleased the MCMC has considered and factored in Cenerva’s input in its analysis and recommendations.

Cenerva is the world leader in Number Portability consultancy. Over the past 13 years, we have helped regulators and operators in over 40 countries across five continents assess, implement and operate efficient consumer-centric Fixed and Mobile Number Portability services.

This includes virtually every implementation in the world over the past 13 years. No other consultancy even comes close to matching our Number Portability experience.

Fixed Number Portability – a solution to increase competition

Mobile Number Portability (MNP) was introduced to Malaysia in 2008 and allows mobile users the opportunity to switch providers while retaining their existing number.

This has proved successful with stats revealing that over 4.3 million MNP requests were made in 2020.

Now the MCMC is making steps towards a planned implementation for fixed-line numbers.

Fixed Number Portability (FNP) will enable consumers in Malaysia to switch providers without losing their telephone number. FNP has been successful around the world and it will mean increased competition for fixed-line telecommunications services.

Cenerva concluded that FNP could bring positive competitive benefits to the Malaysian fixed telecommunications sector, but the MCMC and relevant stakeholders should consider best practices from other markets to ensure an efficient, fair, robust, and attractive to all types of customer. Cenerva also believed that the potential of FNP provides the opportunity for MCMC to radically overhaul and improve the current MNP for the benefit of consumers and competition.

The Importance of Experience in Number Portability

Cenerva has proven experience in telecommunications regulation and policy making and has worked on more than 40 fixed and mobile number portability programmes across the world for regulators and service providers, including:

• Leading the development of fixed number portability across a number Caribbean territories, assessing, developing, and applying best number portability practices to optimise fixed number portability processes in terms of efficiency and customer porting experience
• Led the development, implementation and launch of fixed number portability in the Isle of Man
• Advising UK service providers on enhancing and optimising the UK fixed number portability process and service
• Developing positive working relationships with all global number portability system providers and vendors to maintain awareness of global and regional number portability developments and best practices
• Advising international carriers and global operators on optimising global and national operations through leading-edge number portability practices

Cenerva is widely recognised as the global ‘go-to’ Number Portability expert consultancy and we are pleased to share our extensive experience of successfully implementing and operating Fixed Number Portability services across the world, with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and Malaysian service providers.

Advice for Implementing Number Portability Programmes

When developing and implementing Fixed Number Portability services it is critical that regulators and service providers should optimise the consumer porting experience and safeguard the safety of consumers, by:

• Setting realistic porting process timelines that are realistic and consider the need to access consumer premises where new installations are required
• Using effective and efficient mechanisms for consumers to validate and authorise their porting transactions
• Aligning the fixed switching process and approach to existing national Mobile Number Portability services to ensure consistency for consumers and minimal disruption to service providers
• Adopting centralised communication to consumers during the porting process to update consumers on the status of their porting transaction
• Considering the implications of separating fixed voice and broadband/ ancillary services within the fixed porting service
• Ensuring the fixed number portability implementation programme is robustly led by the regulator as consumer guardian, setting realistic timelines driven by clearly defined programme milestones

Our proven methodology of implementing number portability (both Mobile Number Portability (MNP) and Fixed Number Portability (FNP)) has been successful. Our expert team has in-depth experience in both undertaking complex number portability cost-benefit analysis and benchmarking, and as well as thoroughly understanding the specific challenges and issues to be addressed in implementing number portability.

Please contact us if you are interested in discussing how we can help your organisation implement fixed or mobile number portability, or any of our other telecommunications consulting services.