November 20, 2024 Results of Solicitation of Opinions on Partial Revisions to the Telecommunications Numbering Plan, etc. and Reports from the Information and Communications and Posts Administrative Council

 The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) recently consulted the Information and Communications and Posts Administrative Council (chaired by AIDA Hitoshi, Project Professor at The University of Tokyo) and made a public solicitation of opinion on partial revisions to the Telecommunications Numbering Plan (Inquiry No. 3184 of October 2, 2024).
 Following the council’s report, MIC published both the council’s report and the opinions received along with MIC's responses to these opinions.

1. Overview of revisions

 The proposed revisions to the Telecommunications Numbering Plan (Public notice of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications No. 6 of 2019) are in response to the planned completion of the transition from the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to IP networks by the end of January 2025 and concerns about the exhaustion of voice transmission mobile phone numbers (070/080/090 numbers) in the future.

2. Results of public solicitation and council’s report

 MIC solicited opinions regarding the partial revisions to the Telecommunications Numbering Plan from Thursday, October 3 through Friday, November 1, 2024. In total, 10 opinions were submitted.
 MIC also received a report from the Information and Communications and Posts Administrative Council stating that it would be appropriate to make revisions as suggested by the council.

3. Future plans

 MIC will promptly integrate the council’s report and the results of solicitation of opinions into the final system.