MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY

That this House congratulates Ofcom for reducing from five days to two the time it takes to move a telephone number from one mobile network to another; registers its concern that due to a legal intervention, the Competition Appeals Tribunal has halted a proposed further reduction in this porting process to just two hours by September 2009; is concerned that this delay will undermine the ability of UK consumers properly to exercise choice; notes that mobile customers in other countries, including the Republic of Ireland, can move their number to a new mobile network in just 20 minutes; and calls on other mobile companies to support 3 mobile's call for a voluntary commitment to introduce two-hour recipient-led porting by the original deadline of September 2009 for the benefit of UK consumers.