Hutch's CDMA customers will lose PSTN numbers

Stuart Corner
Monday, 15 May 2006 12:51

Your IT - Home IT

See also: Hutchison to shut CDMA network in August
Orange revives 'fixed'/mobile offering

Customers of Hutchison's soon to be closed CDMA network will not be able to take the fixed line numbers associated with the network's LocalZone and Mobile+Home services to other networks. The ACMA has granted the company exemption from the requirement to provide local number portability in respect of these services which give CDMA customers a local geographic number for their mobile phone which can be called at normal PSTN rates.

When the CDMA network was launched in 1998 this was a key selling point, but Hutchison subsequently ceased to promote it, only to launch a near identical service last September under the name Mobile+Home. The ACMA's announcement made no mention of this service, but a spokesman confirmed that the exemption would apply to it also.

The exemption has been granted until 30 November 2007 subject to Hutchison committing to offer existing LocalZone customers a free redirection to a local number of their choice for at least twelve months. Hutchison must also have arrangements in place to deal with complaints arising as a result of the exemption from affected customers, must promote awareness of these arrangement and must report to ACMA every six months on the number of complaints received in respect of portability matters and action taken to resolve the complaints.

Hutchison announced earlier this month that it would shutdown its CDMA network on August 9 and that it intended to migrate customers to its 3G network, which does not support the LocalZone functionality.

It made no mention of how the geographic number issue would be resolved but later told iTWire that customers would be offered free diversion from their LocalZone number to their Hutchison mobile number for three months at no charge.