The portability of telephone numbers promotes competition in the telecommunications market. You can keep your old number even if you switch telecoms operators or move to a new address.
You can keep:
- your mobile telephone number when you change the telecoms operator providing your mobile subscription;
- your landline telephone number when you change telecoms operators or address within the telecommunications area.
Portability applies to all telephone numbers apart from service numbers specific to a certain telecommunications area and televoting numbers that begin with 0700.
Permitted delays
The porting time may not exceed five working days, unless you have agreed on a different delivery time with the receiving telecoms operator. If you want, you and your telecoms operator can agree that the number is ported at a later date or time, for example, at the end of your fixed-term contract or term of notice.
The time between closing the old subscription and opening the new one may not be longer than:
- 10 minutes in mobile subscriptions
- 60 minutes in land-line subscriptions.
Number portability in fixed-term contracts
As of 25 May 2011, it has been possible to port a number connected to a fixed-term subscription before the contract period ends.
However, porting your telephone number before your fixed-term contract period ends does not release you from the payment obligations relating to your old contract. If you port your number in the middle of your fixed-term contract period, you have to pay the monthly fees of your old subscription until the end of the contract period. So before porting your number, read your subscription contract or contact your operator's customer service to check what kind of a contract you have with your old operator and what fees it involves. After porting the number, your old subscription contract will terminate at the end of the current contract period.
Information on the fixed-term nature of your old contract is also included in the porting request. That is done to ensure that you are aware of the fixed-term nature of your old contract and your obligation to pay the related fees.
The right to port a number before the end of a fixed-term contract is applied as of 25 May 2011 to consumer and business customers and also to existing contracts. You have the right to port your number in the middle of a fixed-term contract period regardless of whether your porting right has been restricted in your contract or the telecoms operator's general terms of contract.
If you do not know which telecoms operator's network a number uses, information is available on the internet at www.siirretytnumerot.fi (External link)