Bulgaria's Mtel, Vivacom Adopt One-Stop-Shop Number Portability

The agreement allows customers to change their mobile operator with just one visit at the office of the company to which they want to subscribe. Photo by BGNES

Two of Bulgaria’s three mobile operators have signed an agreement to implement the wireless number portability service.

Under the agreement the clients of the first and biggest mobile operator Mtel and the third-biggest Vivacom will be able to avail themselves of the service “one-stop-shop”. This allows customers to change their mobile operator with just one visit at the office of the company to which they want to subscribe.

The agreement comes into force on August 6. The switch will be done within one week since the client’s application.

The news comes days after the Bulgarian communications regulator threatened mobile operators with sanctions for refusing to implement the service.

The regulatory body, the Communications Regulation Commission, said there is a sharp increase in complaints received from clients of the three mobile operators in the country – Mtel, Globul and Vivacom.

According to insiders the fight for subscribers became particularly acrimonious after the Communications Regulation Commission announced plans to launch "one-stop-shop" portability service.

Since the introduction of the service at the beginning of 2009 by the end of the year no more than 0,5% of the mobile operators clients, 55 830 subscribers, have availed themselves of it, data of the regulatory body shows.

During a recent meeting with representatives of the commission, the mobile operators have voiced willingness to overcome the problems, which hamper the number portability service, the watchdog said.

The wireless number portability came into effect after Bulgaria's three mobile operators signed a framework agreement to make the service available between networks.

Bulgaria had to implement the service as soon as it joined the EU on January 1, 2007 but just ten days later the biggest mobile operator Mtel refused to join the agreement already signed by the other two wireless carriers.

The saga went on for the entire year, with the telecoms regulator intervening in August to speed up proceedings, but to no avail, giving the European Commission reason to start infringement procedures against Bulgaria.

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