Switching prepaid sim card to postpaid

[Strong Eagle]

I also wanted to convert my pre-paid starhub green number to a post-paid one. I asked them for this in one of their office but they said "CANNOT". Cannot my ass though, they just don't want to do it. How can you transfer your number to another operator and not to be able to switch to a regular post paid plan within the same operator? This is ridiculous! I'm sure there's only one checkbox in their system they have to click on. But they just don't want. They want you to buy their super expensive iPhones with a plan and to have sex with you for 2 years.

Having been the project manager for the mobile number portability project in Malaysia, I can shed some light on the situation.

There are three components to number portability. The first is the business system (your phone bill). The second is the cellular system. And the third is commercials and tariffs.

Each operator has their own custom systems. Each operator has different services that must be transferred or retained with a phone number. And each phone company tries to protect its commercial advantage when taking/releasing a phone number.

While prepaid cards behave sort of similarly on the networks (most won't work out of country or don't have data, etc), they are a different animal in the business systems. While the technical difficulties were challenging enough, getting all the telcos to agree on anything was even more difficult.

In the end, a system was designed, and like in Singapore, prepaid numbers are not transferable. It is built into the system, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is prepaid numbers are often transient.

So, they really couldn't do it, "if they wanted to". It's not in the system, and there isn't much commercial incentive to put it in the system.

[bobypf]

Yeah man, thanks for the info. But reading the previous posts here, it turns out that I'm not the only one who wants that. Also, most prepaid numbers could be - as you say - transient, but sometimes - as in my case - they become pretty permanent ones. I've been using it for more than a year coming and going as a tourist and after I started working, it's even on my business card now. So it would be extremely inconvenient for me now if I have to switch to a post-paid service and change my number. It seems that I'll use the prepaid one forever.

[zzm9980]

Yeah man, thanks for the info. But reading the previous posts here, it turns out that I'm not the only one who wants that. Also, most prepaid numbers could be - as you say - transient, but sometimes - as in my case - they become pretty permanent ones. I've been using it for more than a year coming and going as a tourist and after I started working, it's even on my business card now. So it would be extremely inconvenient for me now if I have to switch to a post-paid service and change my number. It seems that I'll use the prepaid one forever.

An either way, they've got your money. So what's the incentive for them to add it to the system? Hell, not letting you port your number makes you even more likely to stick with them.

And for someone so concerned about bandwidth in the other thread, I'm shocked you stick with Starhub. I found their data network to bit absolute shit.

[bobypf]

An either way, they've got your money. So what's the incentive for them to add it to the system? Hell, not letting you port your number makes you even more likely to stick with them.

And for someone so concerned about bandwidth in the other thread, I'm shocked you stick with Starhub. I found their data network to bit absolute shit.

Wow dude, do you really think that I use mobile internet at all? I NEVER use it unless it's lifesaving or something. I have access to normal computers everywhere - at home and at my workplace. Why the hell would I use this stupid super slow and super expensive mobile internet? I'm not a singaporean and I don't have an iPhone even in my ass. I CAN take the MRT without facebooking and tweeting.

[Strong Eagle]

An either way, they've got your money. So what's the incentive for them to add it to the system? Hell, not letting you port your number makes you even more likely to stick with them.

And for someone so concerned about bandwidth in the other thread, I'm shocked you stick with Starhub. I found their data network to bit absolute shit.

Wow dude, do you really think that I use mobile internet at all? I NEVER use it unless it's lifesaving or something. I have access to normal computers everywhere - at home and at my workplace. Why the hell would I use this stupid super slow and super expensive mobile internet? I'm not a singaporean and I don't have an iPhone even in my ass. I CAN take the MRT without facebooking and tweeting.

Wow! Are we being slightly defensive? I'm post paid. I use data services all the time... mail, internet, maps... 3G isn't stupid... sometimes slow... but I'm banking on the porn downloaders to get this fixed... did you know that porn sites are significantly responsible for bandwidth upgrades over the years... pictures... then videos.

[bobypf]

Wow! Are we being slightly defensive? I'm post paid. I use data services all the time... mail, internet, maps... 3G isn't stupid... sometimes slow... but I'm banking on the porn downloaders to get this fixed... did you know that porn sites are significantly responsible for bandwidth upgrades over the years... pictures... then videos.

Dude, trust me, I know. Actually the porn industry is responsible for many great things in this world but most people deny it. Only the porn itself is greater than the advancements they've brought to us. But as to the mobile internet, I'm a little skeptical. Who would watch seriously porn on his phone? The screen too small lah... Unless you're in camp, I don't see why don't you just wait until you go back home and watch in on big screen.

[aster]

I had an issue recently that forced me to move networks just to exchange my SIM card.

http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic84789.html

Overall the way the system works is extremely primitive here, it's like jumping into a time machine and going backwards.

Over in Europe you want to exchange a pre-paid SIM cause you lost it/damaged it, no prob as long as it's registered (which is not a requirement in most countries). You get the new SIM on the spot, for free, all nicely and easily done.

Want to move from prepaid to postpaid, or the other way around? No prob. Want to move postpaid to another operator's prepaid or vice versa? No prob.

It's all about two things:
- strong competition
- good regulation/regulators

That's all there is to it.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Maybe they should moved some of those regulators into the financial sectors in Europe then, yeah?

[aster]

Before EU regulators took mobile phone operators by the neck there was a free-for-all and the consumer was getting ripped like there's no tomorrow. Nowadays it's an entirely different story, so regulation can have very positive effects after all.

They should have done the same to banksters instead of allowing these "financial terrorists" to run amok with little control over them. Hopefully this will change not just in Europe but in the US as well.