Will also require them to allow subs to keep their numbers when switching networks

A new bill filed in congress is looking to require telcos like Smart and Globe to give subscribers a minimum download speed of 10Mbps, allow consumers to keep their numbers when they switch networks, have a better and more responsive complaint response system and prohibits load expiration and unsolicited promotions. The bill, House Bill No. 5242, or the Magna Carta for Mobile Phone Subscribers was filed by Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo looks to strengthen the rights of mobile subscribers in the Philippines.

According to Rep. Castelo, the telcos in the country has “failed to cope with the ever-increasing demand for quality services, and provide its subscribers with sub-par and inadequate services. Stories of poor signal quality, choppy or garbled voice transmission, frequent dropped calls, unexplained exorbitant charges, slow internet connection, and vanishing load are familiar complaints that have been the subject of several legislative inquiries, yet telcos continue to fail to present any substantial improvement”.

The bill, if passed in its current form, it will give the National Telecommunications Commission the teeth required to fine and penalize both telcos for non-compliance. Each violation of the bill will earn a penalty of no less than Php 100,000, with a maximum penalty of Php 500,000.

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