The precautionary measure delivered by Portugal Telecom to the Lisbon administrative court to block the entry into force of the new rules applicable to the portability of telephone numbers was dismissed. Anacom can continue to apply the new rules, says the justice.
Following the high number of complaints received from several operators, who complained about unjustified delays in the process, the communications regulator intervened.
The new rules give the consumer the right to be compensated whenever there are delays in the process, in view of the legally provided timings.
The consumer may be entitled to a compensation of 20 euros a day if he sees his phone number improperly ported or if the portability takes place and after that is interrupted. Deadlines are also redefined and penalties to be applied between operators are also redefined.
The new regulation came into force in March. PT appealed to the courts with a request for precautionary measures to block the entry into force of the new regulation with which it does not agree. A judicial decision, to which Lusa had access, has now confirmed that it can continue in force.
Telephone number portability is the possibility that each customer of the fixed and mobile telecommunications services has to change operator, maintaining the same telephone number.
According to Anacom’s most recent figures, by the end of August this year, 1.36 million numbers had been ported. More than one million ported numbers belong to the fixed network.
