Kostin, P.Y. Telephone number and its turnover: the issues of civil law qualification

Abstract: With the development of the telephone connection services the economic value of telephone numbers becomes higher, since their resource is objectively limited. While regulating the telephone service relations, the civil law has to deal with the phenomena, such as remunerated singling out and “sale” of “pretty” telephone numbers. The latest changes in the legislation legalized keeping the call number when the operator of mobile telephone connection is changed, so the science needs to qualify the nature of telephone number and its participation in the turnover. The article provides substantiation for the thesis, that is it not possible to regard a telephone number as an object of rights, or as property, since it holds no independent value outside of the telephone connection relations, and it is just a quality of telephone connection service. The phenomenon for remunerated provision of “pretty” numbers by the communications providers is explained at the time when the contract is concludes as an “additional communications service”. “Sale” of telephone numbers to the customers is in fact achieved not with the sales contract, but with the deals providing for the succession in the obligations arising from the subscribers agreements.

Keywords: