Mobile phone users in Dominica will no longer be required to change their phone number when moving from one mobile service provider to another.
Dominica, along with other Caribbean islands, on Monday June 3, 2019 joined the rest of the world in launching mobile number portability.
Executive Director of The National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC), Craig Nesty said at the official press launch on Monday, that it was a ‘transformative day’ in all of Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) states.
“Today Dominica, St. Vincent, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Grenada, we all join countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and countries more locally aligned like Jamaica and Trinidad in launching mobile portability,” he stated.“The benefits we hope to derive from mobile portability includes choice, so you no longer will be burdened with the consequence of moving from ‘network A’ to ‘Network B’ if you are not able to keep your number”.
He added that while mobile portability does not address rates, the development will hopefully, also impact the rates of on-net and off-net calling.
“….With the anticipated migration in the market and the caller not knowing on who’s network the call party is or how much the particular call will cost, will invariability cause the rates for on-net and off-net pricing to be affected.”
Acting Permanent secretary in the ministry responsible for telecommunications, Reginald Severin said the launch is another milestone in Dominica’s telecommunications sector.
“Today’s launching is another milestone in Dominica’s telecommunication sector and by extension, the member states of ECTEL to continue to advocate for advanced services on behalf of customers, promotes customers’ choice and promotion of competition as service providers compete to offer services and best practices which they believe will attract customers,” Severin stated.
He said number potability offers a special enhancement to customer choice in markets where there are more than one telecommunication service providers.
“Number potability…enables users to keep their current telephone number when switching from one telecommunications service provider to another, removing the hassle, the inconvenience of having to inform all of your contacts, families, friends…and so on that your number has been changed, out of the equation, means that customers can focus their decision on the important issue such as service quality and price,” Severin explained.
He said mobile number portability can encourage entrepreneurship as business-oriented and innovative individuals may see the benefit of opening new businesses within certain sectors of the economy with specialized prices and plans for the category of business.
I smell a rat, I think these companies have infilltrared the ECTEL. Not thought out, just another revenue source. They are already selling us one Mb at a time, they got fibre under the sea for free, this was so predictable.
I live in the BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS and this is not available.
With a population of just 40 million people, we in the Caribbean are the 2nd most profitable telecommunications market in the world. Until these governments starting renegotiating these money presses that they have freely given to these corporations, at the expense of our own people’s interest, I will remain unimpressed with any news from ECTEL. Craig is a good man, but our people are suffering with draconian cellular phone prices. Cellular telephone service is the “Crack Epidemic” in the Caribbean. No one can adequately explain the relationship between infrastructural cost, network upkeep, prices, profit margin and return on investment (ROI). It’s freewheeling and free dealing to the hilt.
A least we got there in the end. But what about the land lines?
Mr Nesty is not the Executive Director of Ectel. Fix that please. Do some proofreading before posting.
ADMIN: The program for the event listed him as the Executive Director.
Executive Director of the NTRC is not the same as that of Ectel.. Ectel is the regional body based in St Lucia.
ADMIN: Thank you for taking the time to point that out. You are correct we did miss that, we have had it updated.
Why is this news? Who cares about something so insignificant. Stpz. Let me know when they stop charging ridiculous prices for data ($20 for 1 gig my …).
Big deal thou. That’s been around for forever?
Why everything deserves launching thou, just announce the news and let it be. Not important enough for a press confrence
I am surprised that the Caribbean is just coming into the 21st century as it pertains to Mobile Number Portability. This should have happened a long time ago.
Shame on ECTEL. Pierro was right we wear our ignorance like a badge of honour. Ignorance is bliss. This should have been quietly done. No fault on Nesty.
does this apply for between-country networks? say network A in the Uk to network B in Dominica
What’s the excitement about that? I have a double sim cell phone. There is no need to “migrate” to any network.
What ECTEL needs to investigate is how people money just disappear from their phones without even switching on mobile data.
Yeah big deal! It’s been available in the modern world for 20 years. But in DA… better late than never!