Airtel Vodafone chief executive Iain Williams. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0670961)

MOBILE telephone number portability will be hugely beneficial once it is launched next month, according to Airtel Vodafone’s chief executive officer.

Iain Williams said allowing customers to keep their existing number when they changed telecoms networks would open a door to a new era.

He said the marketplace would be far more competitive, which would see companies drive down prices and push up services and quality.

‘Companies have already been releasing new price lists so as not to be left behind. Once you can keep your number if you change network, people will be looking for better deals more and more,’ he said.

In the past customers have become attached to their number, he said, to the extent they were not willing to go through the hassle of changing it to save money.

‘But with the current financial climate and people wanting to save money by finding the best deal, people will take advantage of what is on offer and the barrier of number changing simply will not be there any more to stop them.’