The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) said yesterday that number portability for landline services would be launched on September 3, creating a “strong competitive enabler” in the telecommunications sector.

Number portability, or number porting, allows customers to keep their current telephone number when switching from one service provider to another.

It will become available in locations where there is more than one fixed-line telephone services provider, such as Abaco, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama and New Providence.

URCA said it will not allow number portability for mobile services yet, as there is only one cellular provider at this time, the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC). It will be introduced when competition comes in via the award of a second cellular licence, likely between 2014 and 2016.

“We see it as a strong competitive enabler, because it removes that barrier where you as a customer have to change numbers when you change providers, but you want to keep your old number and you don’t want to tell all your contacts that you have a new number,”said Stephen Bereaux, URCA’s director of policy and regulation.

“Number portability is managed or required by the Communications Act which governs URCA’s operation as regulator of the electronic communications sector.”

In particular, number portability will benefit Bahamas-based businesses, enabling them to switch service provider without having to tell all customers and vendors their new number, thus avoiding a loss of business.

Mr Bereaux added: “It will be available on all islands that have more than one landline telecommunications providers.

“Currently that is Abaco, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama and New Providence. You can only port your number within the same island. That means if you are planning to move and you are planning to change providers, unfortunately your number has to stay on the island and that has to do with the fact that your area code within the Bahamas are island specific.

“If you were to take them from one island to another it could create confusion in relation to off-island charges.”

Landline competition is currently between BTC and Cable Bahamas.

Mr Bereaux said the regulator did not foresee customers having the ability to move a number from a fixed-service number to mobile service number and vice versa.

“People want to know when you are calling from one to another, the charges are different,” he explained.

The process of bringing number portability to the Bahamas was initiated in April 2011 when URCA launched its initial public consultation. In November that year, it established an industry working group comprising representatives from existing telephone service providers in the Bahamas.

Porting Access BV, also known as Porting XS, was selected to provide the system which makes number portability work. The company provides and manages number portability services in countries such as the Cayman Islands, Panama, Ghana, Kenya, Channel Islands (Guernsey and Jersey) the Isle of Man, the Netherlands and Gibraltar.

The company’s locally-based and incorporated subsidiary, Porting Access Bahamas, is licensed by URCA, to provide and operate the number portability administration service in the Bahamas.