6Pre-Porting identity verification

6 Pre-Porting identity verification

(1) The industry standard must: (a) apply to mobile carriage service providers who supply public mobile telecommunications services; (b) state that its objectives are, without limitation, to: (i) prevent the unauthorised Porting of mobile service numbers; (ii) reduce harm to customers arising from the unauthorised Porting of mobile service numbers; (c) require Gaining CSPs, prior to accepting the Port of a particular mobile service number, to use one of the applicable identity verification processes specified in the industry standard; and (d) require mobile carriage service providers to not proceed with a mobile service number Port unless one of the applicable identity verification processes specified in the industry standard has been used by the Gaining CSP.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph 6(1)(c), in specifying identity verification processes in the industry standard, ACMA must: (a) specify those which the ACMA considers to be necessary to achieve the objectives set out in paragraph 6(1)(b) and which: (i) are practicable; (ii) are robust; (iii) are technically feasible; and (iv) do not impose undue financial and administrative burdens; (b) have regard to the existing identity verification processes that mobile carriage service providers may have already implemented or are in the process of implementing. (3) Without limiting subsection 6(2), in specifying identity verification processes in the industry standard, the ACMA should identify clearly those processes which apply to all customer types and those which apply only to specific customer types (eg residential, small to medium business, corporate), and the ACMA may consider specifying any or all of the following identity verification processes in the industry standard: (a) the generation and sending by the mobile carriage service provider of a unique verification code: (i) by SMS message to the mobile service number that is to be Ported via a method that ensures it is transmitted to the mobile service number that is the subject of the Port request; (ii) by a message to the email address of the customer; (b) in a retail environment, following identification of the customer in person at a retail store, personnel representing the Gaining CSP calling, whilst in store, the mobile service number of the customer and verifying that the call has been received by the customer’s mobile device used in association with that mobile service number; (c) in a call centre environment following identification of the person initiating a Port request by voice call: (i) as the customer— personnel representing the Gaining CSP calling back the mobile service number to be Ported to confirm that the person initiating the request is the customer; and (ii) as the authorised representative of the customer—personnel representing the Gaining CSP calling back the mobile service number to be Ported to confirm that the person initiating the request is the authorised representative of the customer; and (d) the use of one or multiple forms of biometric data to verify that the person requesting the Port is the customer or an authorised representative of the customer.