Telecommunications services in Taiwan have steadily become more liberalized since 1996; consequently, an increasing number of businesses and diverse services have become available since then, many of which have become essential to our daily lives.

By the turn of the century, integrated network services had already been launched in accordance with the Telecommunications Act. Meanwhile, in 2003, Regulations Governing Equal Access Services were established, providing users of both landlines and mobile communications with a greater selection of international and long-distance services to choose from. Both policies were aligned with the purpose of stimulating competition and protecting consumer rights. 

More recently, in response to continued changes in the information and communications environment, the Telecommunications Management Act was announced by the President and promulgated on June 26, 2019. This Act replaces the business-orientation type structure of the Telecommunications Act, transforming it into a service-type management model. As the competent authority for this new act, the NCC also adheres to the principles of promoting fair competition and protecting consumer rights. Consequently, according to Article 16 of the Telecommunications Management Act, the Administrative Regulations for Equal Access Services of Telecommunications Enterprises were established on June 24, 2020.

In accordance of the aforementioned principles of the Telecommunications Management Act, the act stipulates that telecommunications providers offering services pertaining to user numbers must provide number portability services. The number portability service allows telecommunications users to retain their original number (including landline, mobile, and toll-free numbers) when switching from one telecommunications provider to another. In order to protect consumer rights and prevent harmful competition between providers, the Administrative Regulations for Number Portability Services of Telecommunications Enterprises stipulates that a professional third party (not a telecommunications provider offering number portability service) shall offer, operate, and manage number portability services on a neutral and fair basis.

Accordingly, the Ministry’s Telecom Technology Center (TTC) was commissioned in November 2004 by type I telecommunications operators to establish, operate, and manage the Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC) system, which was launched on October 13, 2004 and links to eight telecommunications providers that provide nonstop services. When looking at the first quarter of 2022, we can note it had already completed number portability services for over 78.23 million mobile phone numbers and more than 56,000 landline numbers.

With the support of the telecommunications providers, as well as advancements in technology, the mobile number portability service offered in Taiwan is efficient allowing users to switch to new providers almost immediately. Meanwhile, the Ministry continues to encourage telecommunications providers to enhance services and network quality.