MORE than 90,000 people have changed their mobile phone service provider since number portability was introduced in September.

After technical glitches and rows between providers, many more people opted to switch when the Australian Communications Authority threatened to impose penalties if telcos did not co-operate.

ACA deputy chairman Bob Horton said queues for switching over had reduced substantially. “And the remaining queues are continuing to decrease,” he said.

Dr Horton said customers who had suffered slow switches had still been able to make and receive calls on their existing service.

Charles Britton, communications policy officer with the Australian Consumer Association, said while 90,000 was only a small proportion of the 7million mobiles in Australia, it was good to see portability “starting to bite”.