Telephone number portability to be launched this year – PUC

…says testing in final stages among service providers

With the long-awaited number portability currently in the final live testing phases among the various service providers, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is assuring that this feature will be launched during the course of 2024.
Number portability, the practice of switching one’s mobile network without changing their cellphone numbers, has been in the works for the past few years. The PUC has the statutory responsibility of overseeing its implementation.
In its latest update on the subject, the PUC revealed that significant strides were made throughout last year towards implementing number portability. It was explained that service providers are in the final stages of conducting live testing, following which number porting will be launched this year.
“Throughout the 2023 reporting period significant milestones were achieved in the implementation of Number Portability. The service providers-initiated testing on the non-production platform for successful porting amongst each entity,” the commission explained in a recent report.
Currently, the main phone service providers in Guyana are GTT, Digicel and E-Net. There are 772,985 subscribers to both GTT and Digicel combined, as of 2023. PUC had no figures from E-Net.
It was explained that Dutch company Porting XS, has been conducting training with the PUC and the service providers on number porting. Further, the Commission conducted multiple visits to each service provider during the tests, which have had both successful and unsuccessful scenarios.
“All service providers are now connected to the production platform with PXS to begin porting and call routing tests. At the time of this publication, testing is ongoing. The Commission conducted multiple visits to each service provider during the testing phases, observing both successful and unsuccessful test scenarios. Live testing has entered its final stages and the Commission expects Number Portability to be launched within the calendar year of 2024,” the PUC said.
The introduction of the number portability system in Guyana was first announced in May 2023 by Chairperson of the PUC, Dela Britton, during a webinar held in observance of World Telecommunications and Information Society Day.
She had explained that the PUC has the statutory mandate to implement number portability in Guyana, a system which allows phone users to retain their phone numbers when changing from one network provider to another.
“Number portability is game-changing in the competition space, as it allows consumers to retain their existing telephone or cellular numbers when switching providers. It generally forces players, when faced with competition, to improve their service offerings,” Britton had said.
She had also explained that the process to ensure number portability is introduced locally began in July 2021 when a working group comprising representatives of the PUC and service providers was established.
Initially, authorities were working to have this system implemented by July. The PUC had admitted last year that this was stymied by the delay in the licensing of the clearinghouse provider and the completion of multiple detailed processes, especially the numerous porting tests between the service providers. However, consumers were notified.
As regulator for the telecommunications sector, the PUC is responsible for implementation and general oversight of the number portability process in Guyana. To this end, the Commission had established a Number Portability Working Group (NPWG) to oversee the process.
The Working Group is chaired by a member of the Commission and comprises representatives from all the telecommunications service providers: namely, GTT Incorporated, Digicel and ENet, together with the Telecommunications Agency.
The Telecommunications Agency has the responsibility of processing telecommunications licences, issuance of telephone numbers, and the regulation of spectrum used for both mobile and wireless radio communication.
The Peoples’ Progressive Party (PPP), after taking office on August 2, 2020, had officially liberalized the telecommunications sector, with the commencement orders issued on October 5, 2020.
The advent of liberalization brought with it the prospect of better quality of service, competitive rates, better prices, and better choices. Number portability, according to the PUC, is perhaps the key drive of liberalization with the intended competition and enhanced consumer choice. (G3)