Mobile newcomer's number portability campaign is paying off, according to new figures supplied by the independent Telecommunications Carriers Forum (TCF).

During August, a record number of mobile phone users took advantage of “number portability” or their relatively new-found ability to keep the same phone number when they or their business switch phone companies.

“August 2009 will be known as the month that we threw out the record books. Porting volumes increased so dramatically, the number of mobile portings alone, at almost 15,500, was triple the previous month’s record,” said Richard Westlake, the independent chair of the Telecommunications Carriers Forum. 12,000 landline numbers were also ported.

Our putative third mobile operator has resigned from a key industry body, the Telecommunications Carriers Forum (TCF), claiming that Telecom, TelstraClear and Vodafone dominate it for anti-competitive ends.  But there is a glean of more co-operation ahead.

Last month, a senior Two Degrees (formerly NZ Comms) manager mocked the self-regulatory industry body as the “Telecommunications Cartel Forum” during an interview with NBR.

Today, hostilities were formalised, as Two Degrees resigned from the TCF.