The application of the Rulebook on the number portability for the services provided on public mobile communication networks („Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia“, No. 13/22) and the Rulebook on the number portability for the services provided on a public communication network at a fixed location („Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia“, No. 101/22) started on August 1, 2023. The Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (RATEL) has adopted these bylaws in an intent to make it easier and faster for the users to port their telephone number and for the operators to carry out the portability process between themselves in a more efficient manner.

By analyzing the current practice, as well as the users’ and operators’ experience in the application of previous rulebooks, additional possibilities for improving the process of number portability were identified. Some of the novelties in comparison with the old provisions relate, among other, to the possibility of submitting the request for number porting electronically, to the shortening of the number portability deadlines, and to a more precise definition of the provisions which, due to different interpretations, caused the porting request to be rejected or delayed. Furthermore, the rulebooks clearly stipulate that number porting is free of charge for users, despite them not being charged for the service so far, anyway.

In order for the users to fully benefit from an easier and faster number porting procedure, it is stipulated that Saturdays be counted as business days, meaning that both the request for number porting and the porting itself can be made on Saturdays. Also, an option to schedule a fixed number porting date, up to 30 days in advance, has been introduced. For business users with a big number of telephone numbers, there is an important improvement compelling the operators to provide them with the data on all their telephone numbers, along with the information about the contract and contract expiration date for each telephone number.

The amendments to the new rules governing the process of number portability in fixed and mobile networks also bring changes to the operation of the Central database of ported numbers kept by RATEL, which is key to the functioning of the service of number portability. Bearing in mind the complexity of the process, suitable adjustments of the operators’ systems (4 mobile operators + 22 fixed operators) were necessary as well. Due to the requirement for the operators’ internal procedures to adapt to the new rules, it was vital to set a reasonable deadline between the adoption of the two rulebooks and the beginning of their application.

RATEL has been especially dedicated to preserving the continuity of the number portability service and functioning of the Central database of ported numbers, which has been in operation for more than ten years, and through which more than 1.6 million numbers have been ported so far, both in mobile and fixed telephony.

More information about number portability can be found at: https://www.ratel.rs/en/page/number-portability.