IT WAS 11 years in the making - the day when Singaporeans could switch mobile phone operators and keep their old numbers. But it arrived with a thud, rather than a bang, yesterday.

There were no long queues, and no rush to switch telcos at several shops visited by The Straits Times.

To be sure, there was a slight buzz among some users, who were busy checking out the deals on offer by the various telcos.

But there were many more subscribers who said that they were happy to remain with their service providers because of the discounts they were getting.

Yesterday's introduction of number portability - as the exercise is called - marks the first time there is full competition among cellphone operators here since 1997, when the monopoly held by SingTel was broken.

Since the date for the start of number portability was announced in April, the three telcos - market leader SingTel, StarHub and MobileOne (M1) - have been dishing out new deals and offers every other week.

Their aims: to avoid high 'churn', or switching, rates among their subscribers, and attract others who are considering moving to a new service provider.

It appears they were successful in achieving the former.

Most subscribers interviewed by The Straits Times said they were keen to renew contracts because they felt their telcos had done enough to keep them.

At the ongoing PC Show at Suntec City, no one in the queue at both the SingTel and StarHub booths said he was there to switch telcos.

Most, like Mr Lam You Teck, 24, an undergraduate, said they were waiting in line to extend their contracts.

Said Mr Lam: 'I will not jump ship, not when I have a discount to sign up for all three StarHub services - broadband, TV and mobile.'

However, experts said it is early days yet, and offered several explanations for the lack of activity, adding that the full impact of free competition will become clear only in the long run.

Analyst Lai Voon San from research house Cazenove & Co said one reason for the quiet start is that most subscribers simply could not take advantage of number portability: He estimated that about 70 per cent of mobile phone users still have active contracts with their telcos.

He said: 'It didn't have a big impact today, but I've known at least five people who've switched. It will have an impact over time.'

Research director Foong King Yew from consultancy firm Gartner said the impact will likely be seen in about 12 to 18 months' time.

He added: 'If you notice, telcos themselves have not promoted number portability much as they would not risk their own subscribers switching sides.'

The telcos, meanwhile, were tight-lipped about the impact, although staff at their shops say there is likely to be a spike in interest over the weekend.

All declined to give figures on how many switch-overs they had managed to attract, although StarHub said that about 500 people attended a roadshow it held at Plaza Singapura at midnight on Thursday.

siewtha@sph.com.sg

tanwz@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Straits Times on June 14, 2008