Change mobile operator and leave your number: Ukrainians have already done it a million times
18 April 09:42
Ukraine has officially recorded the millionth mobile number portability under the MNP (Mobile Number Portability) procedure. This was reported by the Ukrainian State Center for Radio Frequencies, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The service, which was introduced in Ukraine in 2019, allows subscribers to change their mobile operator without losing their number.
“Today, the consumer has real freedom of choice and this is one of the most powerful tools to influence the quality of mobile communications,” the Ukrainian State Center for Radio Frequencies said.
How to use this service
A subscriber can change the operator while keeping his or her number in one of two ways
– submit an online application on the website of the selected operator,
– contact its branded store.
The number porting procedure involves three steps:
1. Submitting an application to another operator for a number portability service.
2. Signing a written agreement and receiving an identification card (SIM card) from another operator.
3. Use your number.
The number porting takes place within one business day within mobile networks, unless the subscriber indicates in the application a later number porting period, which cannot exceed 30 days.
It is important to remember that the services linked to the number – bank cards, social networks, etc. – will continue to work without changes.
How Ukrainians migrated between mobile operators in 2024
Last year, more than 340,000 Ukrainians used the service of mobile number portability without losing their numbers.
According to the National Commission for the Regulation of Electronic Communications and Postal Services (NCCS), lifecell was the leader in terms of the number of new subscribers, attracting 270,000 new users.
The highest demand for the service was in December, when more than 70,000 numbers were transferred to lifecell, which is 26% of the total for the year.
Kyivstar (207,101) and Vodafone Ukraine (109,536) lost the most customers. This was especially noticeable in December after Vodafone and Kyivstar announced that they were raising prices for their tariff plans.
on December 20, 2024, the database of ported numbers was even suspended in order to expand the system’s capacity. This happened after there was a massive increase in the number of porters. For example, on December 16, the Ukrainian State Center of Radio Frequencies recorded as many as 17,012 applications for number portability, which is almost four times more than the average daily load for the entire period of the system’s operation.
After increasing the system capacity, the service was resumed on December 23, 2024.
