The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) has criticised telcos for losing customers' phone numbers during the migration to National Broadband Network (NBN) services, publishing four recommendations to industry on preventing this.
According to the TIO, while it does not happen frequently, losing phone numbers could "cause significant detriment to those residential consumers and small businesses relying predominately on fixed-line phone services".
"The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman believes it is important to highlight the issues," it said.
The TIO's recommendations for RSPs include amending their NBN customer order processes to require consumers to opt out of retaining their phone numbers during the transition to the NBN, rather than the current opt-in process; requiring customers to provide details on the phone number they want to retain before the NBN service order progresses; and providing "clear" warnings to customers that they will lose their phone number if they disconnect "prematurely" from legacy services.
It also advised RSPs to ensure their legacy network switch-off date is the same as NBN's; ensure that the consumer has an active NBN connection before disconnecting fixed-line phone services; and lastly "enhance communication pathways between each other" so they can both reduce the loss of phone numbers and be able to retrieve disconnected phone numbers.
"Loss of phone numbers during an NBN migration can be a stressful experience for consumers and small businesses," Shadow Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said.
"It is encouraging to see the TIO put a spotlight on this issue as there remains sensible scope for improvements in how retailers manage this process."
The government had earlier this month proposed replacing the TIO[1] with a new external dispute resolution (EDR) body, which would be "independent of industry" and aimed at