Orange and One2one reap portability benefits

One2One and Orange, the UK's smallest and newest mobile operators, have fared better than their more established rivals since the launch of number portability.
Just over two months after the introduction of number portability - the ability for a user to change networks while retaining the same phone number - the two companies have seen a steady flow of customers switch to their networks.
However, it appears that Cellnet and Vodafone haven't had such a good time since Oftel pushed through the change. According to a source, Cellnet call centre agents have been telling potential customers to "wait a couple of months until the pain has been taken out of the [number transferring] process". A spokesman for Vodafone, said: "Not many people have been taking up the option to change."
Vodafone charges a one-off £25 administration fee when users switch to its service. Contrary to information given out by Vodafone sales staff, the fee is at the company's discretion, and hasn't been imposed by Oftel.
One2One, which pushed most strongly for number portability and was quick to publicise the rule change, charges a one-off £35 connection fee, but many of its tariff agreements credit users with £25 worth of calls.
The move away from the older network operators was widely predicted by analysts when number portability was introduced. Robert Hall, a director at telecoms consultancy, Ovum, told Silicon.com that Cellnet and Vodafone had fought the change, Orange had largely remained neutral, while One2One was most in favour.