On February 1, Minsk / Andrey Asfura - BELTA /. Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service, allowing to keep the current number when changing a mobile operator, has been launched in Belarus since February 1, BELTA correspondent reports.
As noted by the Ministry of Communications, to keep the number, the subscriber must submit an application to the donor operator for the provision of subscriber number portability service. If the subscriber has no outstanding debts or other unfulfilled obligations, a request for service provision is processed in the ported numbers database. The subscriber is informed of the record identification number, taking into account which, upon the request of the recipient operator, changes are made to the database. At the same time, the subscriber signs a service agreement with the operator to which they plan to switch.
The main factor that can cast doubt on the popularity of the service is the time it takes to port a subscriber number. Thus, the entire procedure will take about three days, during which the subscriber will not be able to use their number. At the same time, within 30 days, the subscriber can refuse the service and return to the donor operator. The service can only be used again 90 days after the last date of its provision.
During a call to a ported number, the subscriber will be warned by a voice message.
Since February 1, asymmetric tariffs for traffic transit services between mobile telecommunication network operators have also been introduced in Belarus. The tariff for traffic transit service is now determined as the ratio of the interconnect rate of the operator with a larger market share to the mutual asymmetry coefficient, which is then reduced by the difference between the transit fee of the operator with a larger market share and the transit fee of the operator with a smaller market share. In turn, the mutual asymmetry coefficient is calculated as the ratio of the asymmetry coefficient of the larger operator to the asymmetry coefficient of the smaller operator. These coefficients correspond to the market share (subscriber base size) held by a particular communication operator.
When traffic is passed from a mobile operator's network with a smaller market share to a larger telecommunications operator's network, the tariff for the traffic transit service shall be equal to the interconnection rate. The same rule applies if, as a result of calculations, the tariff for the traffic transit service is lower than the current interconnection rate, as well as, logically, when traffic is passed between the networks of mobile cellular communication operators holding more than 40% of the market.
Importantly, the asymmetry coefficients will converge each year, with the aim of returning to uniform rates by 2015. Furthermore, when determining tariffs for 2013 and 2014, an operator holding less than 15% of the market at the end of the year shall use the asymmetry coefficients provided for the following year. If an operator's share exceeds 15% and its revenue for the year has increased by 5%, it shall apply lower asymmetry coefficients of the current year.
BELTA