On 28 June 2004, the Estonian Parliament passed the Telecommunications Act Amendment Act. The amendments are aimed at ensuring the portability of mobile phone numbers and thus at promoting competition on the telecommunications market. According to the amendments that entered into force on 1 January 2004, consumers who switch public telephone network operators have the right to keep their telephone numbers if they so choose. Portability extends also to geographical portability which means that consumers have the right to take their phone numbers with them when they move to a new location. The amendments passed in June oblige public mobile telephone network operators to allow consumers to keep their mobile telephone numbers when they switch mobile network operators. Numbers are not portable when a customer switches from a telephone service to a mobile telephone service, or vice versa. The amendments concerning mobile network operators will take effect on 1 January 2005. The amendments require that mobile network operators and telephone network operators notify consumers if a change of service provider takes place. The portability of mobile phone numbers will be made possible through routing through a common database. This service will be provided by the winner of a public tender on the basis of a government contract. The public tender will be organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications or the Communications Board. The amendments entered into force on 16 July 2004.
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