Regulations for Number Portability between Fixed and Mobile Services

Based on the Communications and Information Technology Act promulgated by Royal Decree No. (106/M) dated 02/11/1443H, and its Bylaw, and based on the regulatory tasks assigned to CST under CST Ordinance (Ordinance), and taking into account the needs and regulation of the communications and information technology markets in the Kingdom, and based on the  provisions of Article II of the Communications and Information Technology Act, CST issues this document with the aim of providing number portability service in the Kingdom from its responsibilities stipulated in  the system and it is a service that allows mobile and fixed users to keep their numbers when changing service providers. CST aims to encourage competition among service providers by facilitating the process of transferring the user number from one service provider to another, thus giving the user flexibility in choosing between service providers, which contributes to improving the quality of service, raising operational efficiency, and reducing prices in addition to more efficient in the use of numbering resources. CST has established the central number portability system to implement the procedures for number portability between service providers automatically, speeding, following  and maintaining a central database of transferred numbers. The service was launched for mobile phones on 11/06/1427H corresponding to 08/07/2006G and for fixed phones on 5/12/1441H corresponding to 26/7/2020G.​         

Terms and expressions defined in the Communications and Information Technology Act, its Bylaw and other decisions  of CST shall have the same meanings when used herein, and the following words and expressions shall have the meanings associated therewith below unless the context otherwise requires:

2-1 User: A person – natural or legal – who uses telecommunications or information technology services or related services, through the service provider.

2-2 Service Provider: Licensed, registered or authorized provider of telecommunications services to the public.

2-3 Number Portability: It is a service that enables the user to keep his current number when changing from one service provider to another.

2-4 Receiving Service Provider: It is the service provider who submits the number portability request through the central number portability system.

2-5 Donor Service Provider: It is the service provider that receives the number portability request through the central number portability system.

2-6 Central Number Portability System: It is a central electronic system that manages number portability requests between  the service providers. It contains a reference database that includes data on all numbers that have been ported and the operations that have been carried out on number portability requests.

2-7 Retention Period: The period from termination or cancellation of the service of the subscriber number to the time when the same number is applicable to be assigned to another subscriber.

2-8 Public mobile phone numbers: These are numbers used to provide voice, text, and data services (but not data alone) over a cellular network to specialized base stations known as cell sites.

2-9 Geographic Numbers: These are numbers used to provide services that end with a specific geographic location, which cannot be changed without the intervention of the service provider.

2-10 Nomadic Numbers: These are numbers used to provide fixed voice communication services that have a nomadic feature.

2-11 Cost-Sharing Numbers: Cost-sharing numbers are used for services where the calling party bears a portion of the call charges, the rest is borne by the called party (the beneficiary), and no portion of the charges collected by the calling party is paid to the called party.

2-12 Toll-Free Numbers: Toll-free numbers are used for services where there is no call charge to the calling party. The toll-free subscriber (the called party) is responsible for paying the call.

2-13 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) numbers: These are numbers used to provide telecommunications services that allow the end user to call and receive calls from/to the Kingdom’s licensed public telecommunications networks (PSTN) that use the E.164 numbering system using Internet protocol networks.

2-14 Government and other entity codes: These are codes designated for accessing emergency services and important services provided by government agencies and other agencies that affect all segments of society.

2-15 Internal Area Code (NDC): An optional internal code field, within the E.164 numbering plan, which, when combined with the subscriber number, forms the National Indicative Number.

2-16 Closed Calling Plan: A calling format that requires the use of the entire structure of the number being called for calls made within the Kingdom.

3-1 This document applies to all mobile and fixed service providers.

3-2 This document applies to mobile services for public mobile phone numbers, and to fixed services for geographic numbers, nomadic numbers, cost-sharing numbers, toll-free numbers, VoIP numbers, and government and other entity codes.

4-1 Service providers must  provide the ability to submit a number portability request at all their user service outlets, including the service provider's electronic outlets, as approved by the CST in this regard.

4-2 The time limits mentioned in Section (5) "Procedures for Providing Number Portability Service for Mobile Services" and Section (6)  "Procedures for Providing Number Portability Service for Fixed Services"  shall be calculated around the clock, all days in the year, including holidays; except for the period of maintenance on the systems specified in paragraph (4-3).

4-3 The period for performing maintenance on the systems shall be between twelve o’clock in the morning and six o’clock in the morning every day in all months of the year; and between five o’clock in the morning and nine o’clock in the morning in the month of Ramadan, provided that the CST is notified (24) hours prior to that procedure, according to the designated channels.

4-4 The user submits the service request to the receiving service provider and completes the necessary data, including the name and ID number of the number to be transferred. The receiving service provider must provide the user who wishes to port his number with the obligations listed below, and ensure that the user has reviewed and acknowledged these obligations before providing the service to him, and is committed to the following:

4-4-1 The accuracy of the information provided, and that his ID number recorded in the number portability request is identical to the ID number with the doner service provider.

4-4-2 Payment of the financial dues due to the ported number, after the completion of the porting process, if any, to the donor operator, after notifying the user of these dues via an SMS message through the donor service provider, and if that is not possible, through the recipient service provider. Emphasizing that in the event of non-payment of these dues, legal measures will be taken against him, and the user bears sole responsibility and the consequences thereof.

4-4-3 The remaining balance in the prepaid card will be lost, if not consumed before the porting.

4-4-4 If the number porting request is rejected, and the user still wishes to port his number, the user can submit a new request to port the number, after fulfilling the requirements that prevented the previous request from being accepted.

4-5 The receiving service provider must ensure the correctness of the information and data provided by the user, after verifying the authenticity and validity of the documents submitted by the user in accordance with the decisions of CST and providing the user with proof of submission of the application by the receiving service provider.

4-6 The receiving service provider must keep the acknowledgment of the user who wishes to port his number according to the retention periods approved in the User Rights Protection Regulations Document and provide it to CST upon its request.

4-7 It is prohibited for the service providers to impose any terms, restrictions, provisions or requirements on users that are not provided for in these procedures.

4-8 The receiving service provider must function the geographic telephone number moving within the internal communication area (NDC) to which the number belongs.

4-9 The dial plan must be closed so that the internal communication format is used to route calls.

4-10 Service providers must not exceed the periods specified in this document to complete their tasks related to all procedures and operations of number portability.

4-11 If a number is ported, in violation of the procedures stipulated in this document, the receiving service provider must immediately return that number to the previous service provider, under the identity of that user and with the same previous advantages, and the receiving service provider shall bear any consequences that may result from this, Including the amounts due to the user from the previous service provider and not demanding any financial dues consumed by the user during that period, and this does not exempt him from the application of the regulations against him as a result of his violation.

4-12  The receiving service provider can cancel the porting request in the event of technical problems preventing the completion of the porting process. This is done after sending the number porting request acceptance message (NPR Accept) and before sending the service readiness message (NP RFS) via the central number portability system. The receiving service provider must send a number porting request cancellation message (NP Cancel) via the central number portability system and notify the user immediately via a text message (SMS) of the reason for canceling the request.

4-13 The receiving service provider may accept the user's assignment of his ported number to another user.

4-14 Except for the service provider to whom the number was allocated, the receiving service provider must retain the cancelled number for a period of (90) days (retention period) from the date of cancellation of the service for the number to which it was transferred; and then return the number via the central number portability system after the expiry of that period to the service provider to whom that number was allocated via the numbering resources system by sending a message (NP Deactivated). The receiving service provider may redistribute the number to the user whose service was cancelled only during this period, and it may not redistribute it to other users.

4-15 The service provider to whom the number is transferred shall bear the financial fee for allocating the numbers, and the annual financial fee for use, according to the transferred numbers registered in the central number portability system at each service provider.

4-16 Without conflicting the provisions of the National Numbering Plan, the financial fees in paragraph (4-15) shall be calculated as follows:

4-16-1 The fee for allocating the transferred numbers is calculated at each number porting.

4-16-2 The calculation of the annual financial fee for the use of the transferred numbers shall be in accordance with the provisions of the National Numbering Plan.

4-17 For number portability requests, service providers must provide reports, information and documents in the form and period determined by CST.

4-18 Service providers must comply with the technical link document for the number portability system, while adhering to any update that may occur to it.

4-19 Service providers must  implement and adhere to CST’s decisions and directives in this regard.

5-1 The user who wishes to transfer his number applies to the receiving service provider through one of the user services outlets to submit the portability request, including electronic ports.

5-2 The receiving service provider initiates the necessary procedures to send the porting request to the donor operator through the central number portability system, as soon as the request is received.

5-3 Within thirty (30) minutes of the receiving of the number portability request by the doner service provider, the doner service provider must accept the number portability request, and not reject it unless the user ID number recorded in the number portability application does not match the ID number recorded in the reference database of the calling card authentication systems for that number with the doner service provider.

5-4 If the number portability request is accepted, the donor service provider must send a message accepting the number portability request (NPR Accept) through the central number portability system, and not cancel the service for the number until after receiving the readiness message (NP RFS Broadcast) from the central number portability system. The receiving service provider must notify the user of the acceptance of the request immediately and then complete the procedures for activating the transfer as follows:

5-4-1 Within fifteen (15) minutes, the receiving service provider must send the service readiness message (NP RFS) to the central number portability system, as a confirmation of the activation of the service in its network to the user.

5-4-2 The central number portability system circulates the (NP RFS Broadcast) message to all service providers, and all service providers must  respond within fifteen (15) minutes with a confirmation message confirming the activation of the number portability in their networks (NP Activated), and this is a confirmation from them that all incoming calls to the transferred number are directed to the network of the receiving service provider.

5-5 If the number portability request is rejected, the receiving service provider must inform the user by SMS. He must not re-send the portability request to the central system until the user fulfills the requirements that prevented the acceptance of the previous request, and the user submits a new number portability request according to the procedures described above in the number portability service obligations.

6-1 The user who wishes to porte his number or a group of his numbers applies to the service provider to whom he wishes to transfer the number through one of the user services outlets to submit the portability request, including electronic ports.

6-2 The receiving service provider initiates the necessary procedures to send the transfer request to the donor operator through the central number portability system, as soon as the request is received.

6-3 Within two (2) hours of receiving the number portability request by the doner service provider, the donor service provider must accept the number portability request, and not reject it unless the user ID number recorded in the number portability application does not match the ID number recorded in the valid service establishment contract or in the reference database of the calling card authentication systems for that number with the donor service provider.

6-4 If the number portability request is accepted, the donor service provider must send the (NPR Accept) message through the central number portability system and does not cancel the service until after receiving the readiness message (NP RFS Broadcast) from the central number portability system. The receiving service provider must notify the user of the acceptance of the request immediately and then complete the procedures for activating the portability as follows:

6-4-1 The receiving service provider must, within (7) days, send the service readiness message (NP RFS) to the central number portability system, as a confirmation of the activation of the service in its network to the user.

6-4-2 The central number portability system circulates the service provider's readiness message (NP RFS Broadcast) to all service providers, and all service providers must respond within one hour, with a message confirming the activation of the number portability in their networks (NP Activated), and this is an assurance that all incoming calls to the transferred number are directed to the receiving service provider's network.