#number portability

But in a country like the Philippines where prepaid users outnumber postpaid users 5 to 1, Filipinos tend to get their phones elsewhere and just buy a Php40 SIM card in the nearest sari-sari store. (Update: Just got off the phone with one of the reps from a local telco and they explained the unlocking is not done on their end but on the manufacturers side.) What I think is a more important move is the number portability scheme which allows a subscriber to bring their number to any carrier when they switch or move between telcos. Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is a popular topic for telco subscribers as it allows customers to change network providers (Globe, Smart, DITO) or switch from postpaid to prepaid (or vice versa) without the need to change their current mobile number. We already discussed how to apply for number portability for Globe. This time, we're going to talk about number porting with Smart. Types of number porting for Smart 1) Internal porting -- you retain your current mobile number as you move from postpaid to prepaid or vice versa, within the Smart network. Example: • Smart Postpaid to Smart Prepaid or TNT • Smart Prepaid or TNT to Smart Postpaid • SUN Postpaid to Smart Postpaid or Smart Prepaid or TNT 2) External Porting -- you retain your current mobile number as you switch subscription to Smart or vice versa. Read more in our articles including "Why mandatory unlocked phones ain't happening here?" and "Smart Mobile Number Portability: How to apply".