Margus Nõlvak: Number porting service must become honest without week-long haggling

Margus Nõlvak writes that to get fair prices for telecommunications services, customers currently must negotiate for an entire month and threaten to switch providers. The Ministry of Justice and Digitalisation proposed expedited number porting as a solution, but the idea was immediately criticised.

Estonia's telecommunications market needs change: to get a fair price, customers today must spend an entire month negotiating and threatening to leave their service provider. This is neither normal nor a sign of honest competition. Margus Nõlvak points out in his opinion piece that such a situation damages both consumers and the market as a whole.

The Ministry of Justice and Digitalisation has proposed expediting the number porting process as a solution, which would allow consumers to switch operators much more easily and quickly. The theory is simple: the easier it is to leave, the harder the service provider will work to keep the customer — and the fairer the price will be from the start.

A good idea, but criticism is not far behind

Unfortunately, it did not take long for the ministry to face criticism of the proposal. Sceptics argue that faster number porting increases the risk of fraud and unauthorised number transfers — a situation where a customer's number is transferred without their actual consent. This is a serious concern that needs to be addressed.

Still, the risk of fraud should not become an excuse to maintain the status quo. In Nõlvak's view, there are other, more effective measures to prevent fraud that do not mean artificially slowing down the process. For example, stronger identity verification methods and real-time notification to the customer about each number porting request can be used.

Competition must work for the consumer's benefit

The principle of honest competition is simple: a customer should get the best price not because they threaten to leave, but because service providers compete continuously for their attention. Number porting is one of the most important tools for this — and therefore its reform must not get bogged down in bureaucracy or unfounded fears.