The Singapore government revealed today that full mobile number portability will be introduced in the country from 13 June this year.

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), the local regulator, said in a press conference that the scheme will replace the current situation where subscribers are able to route calls from an old number to a new one but required to retain both numbers. Customers have until 14 May to decide which number they want to keep, the regulator says. IDA has set up a common centralised database to handle number porting.

Full number portability could have dramatic implications for the country’s three mobile operators as it will encourage subscribers to switch suppliers. According to Wireless Intelligence data, SingTel is the market leader in Singapore with a 42% market share followed by Starhub (31%) and MobileOne (27%).