The national telecoms carrier Moldtelecom is prepared to launch mobile number portability and to accept clients from other mobile phone networks into the Unite network. In a roundtable meeting that involved experts from telecommunications and economy on June 12, SA Moldtelecom director general Vitalie Iurcu welcomed the relevant decision of the national ICT regulator ANRCETI, saying it is favorable for stimulating the market, IPN reports.

Vitalie Iurcu said that number portability is a necessary measure for the productive development of the telecoms environment in Moldova. The clients will no longer be hostage of one mobile network operator and will be able to freely choose the operator, depending on the communication needs, quality of services, coverage of the network, product usage experience and tariff policy.

During the consultations, the first ICT Minister of Moldova Ion Casian said Moldova and other countries witness a tendency to personalize the mobile phone numbers and the number portability is opportune in this connection. This service will be popular if the operator to which the client switched will provide better services than the donor-operator.

E-government expert Ion Cosuleanu said mobile number portability will intensify competition between operators and will lead to the improvement of the quality of services. The people are not yet disposed to spend time on the switchover from one operator to another. Thus, in order to attract clients, the operators must be convincing and provide the best offers.

Moldtelecom was the first company that on April 30 signed the general agreement with the empowered administrator of the database - ICS NP Base – on the organization, operation, management and maintenance of the centralized database for implementing number portability in Moldova.

In Moldova, the number portability service will be provided free from July 1, based on the application of the subscriber and an identification paper.