Migration to 8-digit landline number to push through October 6

Telecommunications companies are now prepared to migrate landline customers to an eight-digit telephone number format in a few days, which was earlier supposed to be implemented in March.

In a statement, Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. said all telephone numbers of Globe and Bayan in the Greater Manila Area will be migrated by October 6.

"We are ready to migrate all customers with landline in Greater Metro Manila to 8-digit telephone numbers," Globe general counsel Froilan Castelo said.

"Our teams are continuously working closely with the NTC and other telcos to assist affected customers before, during, and after the migration," he elaborated.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) earlier ordered the migration, with subscribers of Globe to add an identifier of 7, while those of PLDT Inc. will have to add an identifier of 8.

"PLDT subscribers and those calling them will have no difficulty adjusting to this number change. All they have to do is add the number ‘8’ at the start of the existing landline number. So, if your existing number is, say 123-4567, then it will become 8123-4567," said PLDT and Smart public affairs head Ramon Isberto.

"We would like to encourage our subscribers in Metro Manila and other ‘02’ areas to start disseminating their updated numbers to their callers and updating their promotional materials such as business cards, websites, and social media," he added.

The NTC earlier ordered telecommunication companies to start implementing the migration by March 18, 2019, but banking stakeholders such as the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) and the Credit Card Association of the Philippines (CCAP) requested for this to be delayed. — MDM, GMA News