New cell phone, new contract but the old number: With some providers, customers had to buy this advantage at a high price. The Federal Network Agency is now forcing them to drastically cut prices.
Since Monday, customers have had to pay significantly less to take their phone number with them when changing their mobile provider. The companies can only charge a maximum of EUR 6.82, as the Federal Network Agency announced. So far, the providers have often asked around 30 euros to take the phone number with them. “We have significantly reduced the hurdles when switching mobile operators. This promotes competition, and consumers benefit from this,” said the President of the Federal Network Agency, Jochen Homann.
The majority of providers voluntarily agreed to the required reduction. The Federal Network Agency ordered the lower fees for the companies Telefónica, 1 & 1 Drillisch, Freenet, and 1 & 1 Telecom. They could not have demonstrated higher costs in the review procedures. According to the legal requirements, consumers may only be charged for costs that actually arise when changing. According to the network agency, the providers can charge less than EUR 6.82 or no fee for taking the number with them.
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