Experts in information and communication technology have emphasized that the 2025 regulations for mobile number portability, recently published in the Official Gazette, will enhance competition in Jordan’s mobile services market.
اضافة اعلان
The service allows subscribers to retain their mobile numbers when switching between operators, granting them freedom of choice and promoting fair competition based on service quality and pricing rather than “number ownership.”
Commissioner Ayman Al-Draisah, a member of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), stated that number portability will reduce obstacles for users to move between providers without changing their numbers. This will encourage companies to offer better deals and higher-quality services to retain subscribers, benefiting consumers overall.
Heitham Al-Rawajbeh, representing the ICT sector at the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, noted that the service supports digital transformation and improves telecommunications infrastructure in line with the national digital economy policies. Key benefits include:
Freedom to switch operators without losing the number or affecting communication.
Improved pricing and offers due to increased competition.
Enhanced service quality through network investments and better customer care.
Removal of psychological barriers that previously prevented users from changing providers.
Bilal Al-Hafnawi, a digital transformation and technology consultant, highlighted that number portability strengthens user rights, giving subscribers greater control, freedom of choice, and the ability to maintain their existing numbers. It also ensures better service as operators compete to retain clients and remove transition obstacles.
The service also supports digital infrastructure by stabilizing the subscriber’s identity, which is critical for government systems using mobile numbers as part of the digital ID for e-services, login authentication, digital signatures, and secure transactions. Number portability enables continuous access to governmental, banking, and platform services dependent on SMS verification or national ID integration.
Al-Hafnawi explained that the concept of “number for life” positions the mobile number as a permanent digital identity, independent of the service provider, and lays the foundation for advanced services like e-wallets and other future digital solutions linked to mobile numbers.
Wasfi Al-Safadi, a telecommunications and ICT expert, described the 2025 portability regulations as a strategic turning point in Jordan’s telecommunications market, moving competition from pricing-focused to quality- and innovation-driven. This allows full subscriber choice and encourages operators to focus on coverage quality, 5G leadership, customer service excellence, and value-added services.
The current market, saturated with price-based offers, risks undermining companies’ sustainability and investment capacity. Number portability shifts competition from “price” to “value and quality,” marking a healthy market maturation.
Subscribers requesting number portability must submit a transfer request to the operator they wish to switch to, through company branches, authorized points of sale, or other approved channels. The request is confirmed via a free SMS to the Mobile Number Portability Service Center.
Number portability allows subscribers to retain their mobile numbers when switching operators, managed through a licensed Mobile Number Portability Service Center contracted with mobile network operators and supervised by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission.
Petra