When connecting to the network of any mobile operator, the subscriber is given a unique ten-digit number. Sometimes, at the request of the client, a seven- or six-digit
city number is attached to it
. And after that, he can change the tariff, connect or disconnect services, his numbers will remain unchanged. But it is worth the subscriber to prefer his operator to the competitor, as you have to change your own number. And this is not always convenient. Therefore, many are forced to remain faithful to their cellular company. On the Internet, this state of affairs has been nicknamed mobile slavery.
For several years now, there has been talk that it should be possible to switch to another operator while maintaining the number. Starting from last year, this issue was considered by the State Duma, and even in December of the same year a bill was passed. A date was also set when the change of operator with preservation of the number will be possible. Already in December 2013, the service will work in test mode, and from April next, it can be done by everyone.
Many customers attribute such a long implementation of the service to the reluctance of operators to share their subscribers. However, this is only partially true. The fact is that today the first 6 digits of the number determine the
subscriber’s affiliation
not only to a particular operator, but also to the region. This is the basis for charging all calls today. After the change of operator with saving the number will be possible, it will be necessary to completely change all methods of calculation. This means that a complete change of equipment and the creation of a single database of telephone numbers will be required. And this requires not only large cash injections, but also time.
But the legislative initiative also has opponents. They believe that this will lead to confusion in tariffing. After all, after that it will be difficult to judge by the numbers of the number which operator it belongs to. From their point of view, changing a mobile operator with saving a number is an absolutely unnecessary service, as there are many other options to notify friends, relatives and colleagues about this.
Unconditional call forwarding, SMS sending and voice notification on the old number - from their point of view, this is more than enough. But these methods have their drawbacks. When using call forwarding, you will need to monitor the cash balance on the old number, since you will have to pay for each redirected call. Unlike the first option, SMS mailing will require only one-time costs. Surely, friends and relatives will save the new subscriber number. But clients of such a person can ignore such a message. In the latter version, the service does not require any costs from the client, you just need to configure everything correctly.
But such an alert will work for no more than three months, while the old number is valid. These inconveniences led to the fact that in the near future a change of operator with saving the number will become possible.
Already today, both supporters and opponents of this service are waiting for its appearance. And only after the implementation of the legislative initiative in life will it become clear how relevant it is. It is expected that in the first year up to 3 million subscribers can use the service. But whether all the services will work correctly after the operator is changed while maintaining the number does not guarantee, unfortunately, not a single cellular company today.