Number portability or the ability to move your mobile number under any carrier you want seemed like a pipe dream. Not anymore thanks to the combined efforts of the Avengers. No, just kidding. They’re called the Telecommunications Connectivity Inc. made up of DITO Telecommunity, Globe Inc., and Smart Communications. So, kind of like the Avengers, but of Telecom companies in the Philippines.

This was made possible thanks to teh passing of the Mobile Number Portability Act. Republic Act No. 11202, also known as the Mobile Number Portability Act, ensures that mobile phone users can keep their numbers even when they transfer to another service provider, or when they switch their subscription from postpaid to prepaid, or vice-versa.

How to avail Number Portability

• How to port within networks, you need to meet the following requirements:
• An active SIM and the requestor is the assignee of the mobile number to be ported
• Zero remaining balance from your previous bill (for postpaid)
• Non-existent court prohibitions
• No pending transfer of ownership

Number porting makes it possible to also keep your number when switching from prepaid to postpaid plans. Syniverse will be the provider of number portability services in the Philippines.

“Mobile Number Portability is a complex process not only do we need to adopt it into our system but we need to integrate it with the networks of our competitors,” said Atty. Froilan Castelo who sits as the Chairman of the Telecommunications Connectivity Inc. General Counsel, Globe Group of Companies.

“It took us 22 months to build MNP, upgrade the system, integrate with the MNP service provider, and do testing with the other telcos,” he added.

Price and availability

As discussed earlier, number porting is free of charge. You can try out number porting on September 30, 2021.

Ubisoft has another weekend offering for everyone, focusing more on their popular franchises. In previous offerings, they gave players one whole weekend to play games such as Assassin’s Creed Origins for free. As such, any progress accumulated will carry over when you purchase the game. This time around, they’re offering the same mechanics to those who wish to play Far Cry 5 this weekend.

For those who are still unaware, Far Cry 5 is the fifth installment in one of Ubisoft’s most popular first-person shooter franchise. The game tackles socio-political and religious topics as you play a Deputy in Hope County, Montana attempting to detain Joseph Seed. Throughout the game, you will encounter members of Seed’s congregation, the Eden’s Gate, who will stop at nothing to see a prophecy fulfilled.

From August 5-9, 2021, Ubisoft is offering players for the PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S access to Far Cry 5 for free. For each platform, here are the timings:

• Ubisoft Store (PC) – August 5, 9 PM
• Epic Games Store (PC) – August 6, 1 AM
• PlayStation Store (PS4, PS5) – August 5, 3:01 PM
• Microsoft Store (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One) – August 5, 3:01 PM

YouTube Premium is currently the service’s premium option today, but that is changing — at least in some parts of Europe. There, avid YouTube users can now take advantage of a cheaper plan that offers ad-free viewing but without additional features.

Dubbed “Premium Lite”, the cheaper plan introduces ad-free viewing of YouTube videos but removes other premium features such as offline viewing and playing in the background. This plan also removes the perks from YouTube Music Premium.

For short, the plan only brings ad-free viewing to the table and not much else. Ad-free viewing is available for all platforms where YouTube is available — mobile apps, desktop, and even TV apps. It is also available for YouTube Kids as well — perfect for parents who let their kids binge-watch child-friendly shows.

For now, only users from some parts of Europe are able to take advantage of the YouTube Premium Lite plan. A statement by Google sent to The Verge confirms that the company is testing the plan in the Nordics (Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway) and Benelux (Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg). Users in those countries can pay for EUR 6.99 per month (approximately USD 8) to avail of the plan.

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Emphasis on the word “testing”, though. It is apparently in experimental phase and the plan might change in the future based on user feedback. However, one can only hope that Google offers a similar plan option in the future, considering the amount of ads on YouTube today.