The Number Portability process is very simple. The subscriber informs the provider that he wants his number to be transferred (Recipient provider) and submits a number portability application. The Recipient forwards the appropriate information, through NRDBP, to the Donor, and the Donor, after examining the application will accept or reject it, if one of the reject reasons as described in the Portability Regulation exists. Once the application is accepted, the subscriber waits for the process to be completed and is informed by the Recipient

According to the Number Portability Regulation, the Recipient must forward the subscriber’s number portability application to the Donor only through NRDBP within at most one (1) working day from the day the subscriber has submitted it. The Donor should accept or reject the number portability application within 6 working hours from the receipt of the request and, subsequently, the transfer of the number has to be completed within one (1) working day from the acceptance of the request. Therefore, the total processing time does not exceed three (3) working days from the submission of the number portability application to the Recipient. It must be pointed out that in case of fixed number portability request, accompanied by a request for full release of the local loop, the porting process is completed on the day the fully released local loop is delivered, with deadlines complying to the current regulation, so as to avoid any loss in the services.

It should be noted that the transfer time may be extended due to delays from the subscriber, for example due to the subscriber requesting to activate the subscriber number from the provider to the Recipient at a date other than the date resulting from the above deadline or due to the delayed receipt of SIM card (in mobile telephony).

Due to number portability, the first digits of a telephone number no longer signify the operator (service provider) to which the called subscriber belongs. As a result, the person making the call usually does not know if the called subscriber belongs to the same network or not, in order to assess the cost of the call.

For this reason a web application has been developed which allows anyone to get informed about a telephone number’s service provider. To use the application, visit the  “Number Search” page.

Besides tariff transparency, the knowledge of a telephone number’s service provider can help in other cases, e.g. in the case a subscriber wants to file a complaint for a premium rate number to the provider holding the number.

Number Portability Regulation strictly defines the reasons why a Donor provider has to reject the number portability application. The Donor provider rejects a portability application only if;

• VAT number, ID number, or Passport ID number on the application is different from the data that the Donor has
• The telephone number(s) is not active.
• The number(s) on the application belongs to another subscriber.
• The range of the numbers to be ported is not appropriate, as defined in the Number Portability Regulation.

In case of rejection of the number portability application, the Recipient provider must inform the subscriber for the reasons why his application was rejected, and inform him as to what is needed in order to have a successful completion of the application.

The number portability service relates to the possibility for a subscriber to retain his telephone number within the same geographical area as this corresponds to the National Destination Code (ex. 210, 211, 2310). Of course, this restriction doesn’t apply to mobile phone numbers and non-geographic numbers.

Number Portability service is available for geographic and non-geographic numbers, including mobile telephone numbers. The non-geographic numbers apart from mobile telephone numbers, include corporate numbers and VPN numbers (series 50), personal numbers (series 70), toll free numbers (series 800), shared cost numbers (series 801), numbers for calls through card (series 807), numbers of series 806, 812, 825, 850, 875, 896 and 899 and premium rate numbers (series 90).

Subscribers can port their number to a different network as often as they want, without any restriction. Also, subscribers have the right to port their number even if they have a contract with the provider. However, this right does not exempt them from any obligations ensuing from their contract.

EETT does not define a specific subscriber fee for number portability. Only the Recipient provider may impose such a fee, depending on its commercial policy (the Donor provider is not allowed to charge a number portability fee). According to current practice, number portability is for free.

Note however that the Recipient provider may impose an “activation/connection fee” for setting up a new connection in its network. In any case, subscribers can be informed by the Recipient provider, prior to the submission of the number portability application, for any porting or activation/connection fee.

For more information, questions or complaints about the number portability service you can contact EETT Consumer Service (tel. 801 80 11 000 (local charge), fax. 210 610 5049, email: katanalotes@eett.gr or consumers@eett.gr). In addition, you can submit your  complaints on ΕΕΤΤ page, complaints, on the portability process.

 The maximum service interruption time during the transfer process of the number corresponds to the maximum period within which all providers (of fixed and mobile networks) are obliged to inform the routing tables with the new NRDBP data in order to achieve the proper routing of calls, and is equal to two hours.

The request to cancel a number portability application is submitted to the Recipient provider and can be done in the following alternative ways (if supported by the Recipient provider):

a. In written form, at the Recipient provider’s point of sale (by showing subscriber ID and attaching a copy of the ID to the application).

b. By sending a Fax to the Recipient provider in working days and hours (also attaching a copy of the subscriber’s ID).

c. By a telephone call to a specific number of the Recipient provider, where the subscriber is given instructions for the cancellation by an automated system. The call must be made from the same number for which the number portability application was submitted.

d. By electronic means, such as a web service made available by the Recipient provider.

For more information on the supported means for cancellation requests, please address yourself to the Recipient provider.

 The deadline for submitting a cancellation request is:

–          For fixed numbers, 3 working days before the scheduled activation date to the new provider

–          For mobile numbers, until the reception of the SIM card by the subscriber.

 Cancellation requests that are submitted beyond the corresponding deadline are rejected and number portability proceeds normally.