Current Status of Mobile Number Portability
The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) recently addressed public inquiries about the progress of Mobile Number Portability (MNP). According to the TRCSL, the project is currently in the supplier selection phase for the technical system, as part of the procurement process. While the technical evaluation has already been completed, the financial assessment is expected to be finalized by January 2025.
Once the procurement process is completed and an equipment supplier is chosen, the number portability service will be launched. Initially, the TRCSL had indicated that MNP could be introduced by the end of 2024. However, the timeline has now been pushed further into 2025.
A Long-Awaited Service
Mobile Number Portability has been under discussion in Sri Lanka for over a decade. Significant progress was only made in 2021 when plans to implement the service resurfaced. After receiving legal clearance, Lanka Number Portability Services (LNPS) was established in 2022 to oversee the implementation of MNP.
Steps Taken Towards Implementation
Following the Attorney General’s approval of the proposed rules and regulations, LNPS began the procurement process. By May 2023, the TRCSL invited tender proposals for the “supply, installation, testing, and commissioning” of the service. At the time, then-State Minister of Technology Kanaka Herath stated that MNP would be introduced by the end of the year.
Delays in Timeline
However, the timeline has since been delayed multiple times, first to the fourth quarter of 2024, and now to at least 2025. Currently, Sri Lanka remains one of the few countries in South Asia without Mobile Number Portability. For instance, Pakistan introduced MNP as early as 2007, a system that TRCSL used as a reference for its own implementation.
Benefits of Mobile Number Portability
Despite the delays, the introduction of Mobile Number Portability in Sri Lanka will provide consumers with greater freedom and choice when selecting mobile service providers. Time will tell how this long-anticipated project will unfold, particularly given its history and the declining options for mobile service providers in the country. Subscribe Text.lk for more updates!