Hong Kong's Office of the Telecommunications Authority has decided to allow telecommunications operators to provide a fixed mobile number portability service on a voluntary basis.
To gauge the market demand for the FMNP service before deciding whether to introduce the service , the OFTA commissioned an independent consultant to conduct a market survey in early 2008. The survey result indicated that if the FMNP service was available for free, 25% of residential line users and 26% of business line users would opt for porting their fixed numbers to mobile networks. In October 2008, the OFTA launched a public consultation on the FMNP service to solicit the views of the industry and the public on the proposed voluntary implementation of the service. The consultation ended on January 19, 2009.
A spokesperson from OFTA says a subscriber in Hong Kong may port his fixed telephone number from one fixed network to another fixed network, and his mobile telephone number from one mobile network to another mobile network. However, number porting across mobile and fixed networks is not possible. If the FMNP service is in place, fixed or mobile service users may port their numbers to a fixed or a mobile network of their choice.
Under the voluntary scheme, operators who wish to implement the FMNP service may collaborate with one another and negotiate the terms and conditions for collaboration on a commercial basis.