The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) yesterday said it expects to make an announcement on number portability’s launch within a few days, telling Tribune Business: “We’re close”.

Stephen Bereaux, URCA’s director of policy and regulation, said: “We expect to have an announcement out within the next few days, perhaps a week.

“I can’t say more than that because we’re not quite ready to announce anything. We are getting there, preparing documentation and dealing with some final issues with the operators.”.

Back in August, URCA announced that its initial September 3 launch date for number portability would not be met, stating: “Based on its latest technical reviews of operator readiness for fixed number portability implementation, URCA is not satisfied that consumers would at this time receive a seamless and satisfactory number porting experience.

“URCA expects to issue a final determination on the matter before the end of September, at which time a revised timeline for the implementation of fixed number portability in the Bahamas will be outlined.”

That September deadline has not been met. The delay was a temporary blow, at least, for Bahamian telecommunications consumers, who have suffered a further push back in their ability to enjoy greater choice and, potentially, improved services and prices.

Number portability is vital to fostering competition and choice in the Bahamian communications market, as it will allow consumers to keep their existing numbers when switching to another operator for fixed-line services only.

This will be especially valuable to Bahamian businesses, who will no longer fear losing business by having to change numbers, or spend time and money on informing customers of the switch.

Number portability 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.

Cable Bahamas last month accused its main competitor, the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), of being solely responsible for the number portability delay.

However, BTC “vehemently denied” those claims, instead attributing URCA’s move to “the technical condition” of the whole Bahamian fixed-line telecommunications market.

Mr Bereaux yesterday declined to identify what final issues were being addressed with the operators, but said: “When we are ready we will issue a document and an appropriate release to say what those issues were, and also what the actual date is.

“Once we announce it, it will be because we are confident that things will run smoothly. The next few days should put us in a better position to be in a high enough level of certainty. Obviously these things sometimes take time. We’re close. Hopefully it won’t be more than a few more days.”

URCA will not currently allow number portability for mobile services, as there is only one cellular mobile provider at this time, BTC.