GLOBE TELECOM, Inc. said it will start changing by March next year the landline numbers of its customers in Greater Metro Manila from a seven-digit telephone number to an eight-digit combination, in compliance with an order from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
The company said in a statement on Monday all its customers that have a landline subscription with an assigned area code of 02 will have an additional “7” at the start of their phone numbers starting March 18, 2019.
This means that customers of Globe and its subsidiary Innove Communications, Inc. with a telephone number of (02) XXX-XXXX will have a new number that is (02) 7XXX-XXXX.
Customers of another Globe subsidiary, Bayan Telecommunications, Inc., will likewise change phone numbers from (02) 3000-XXXX to (02) 3499-XXXX.
“We are working closely with the NTC and other telcos to assist affected customers before, during and after the migration. We would like to see all our customers being aware of this change before it comes into effect,” Globe General Counsel Vicente Froilan M. Castelo said in the statement.
Last year, the NTC issued Memorandum Order No. 10-10-2017 which required a public telecommunication entity (PTE) identifier for fixed-line numbers under the area code 02. This puts an additional digit in landline numbers, making it an eight-digit telephone number for residents in Greater Metro Manila area.
“This directive is to ensure there will be sufficient resource pool to cater to the rapid growth of landline customers in major cities,” Globe said.
Aside from Globe’s and Bayan’s, other PTE identifiers are “8” for PLDT, Inc. and Digital Telecommunications Philippines, Inc.; “6699” for ABS-CBN Convergence, Inc.; and “6999” for Eastern Telecommunications Philippines and Telecommunications Technologies Philippines, Inc.
The Ayala-led telco company noted customers may experience downtime during the transition period, which it scheduled on March 18 from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m.
For the three-month period from March 18 to June 17, Globe said it will play a special announcement to whoever will mistakenly dial old seven-digit landline numbers to inform them of the new eight-digit format with the PTE identifier. — Denise A. Valdez

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