Fixed-line portability by February?

By Nicola Mawson for Telkom

Johannesburg, 24 Jan 2007

In theory, from February, Telkom and Neotel should enable customers to move to another operator and keep their geographically linked numbers. However, it is unclear whether this deadline will be met.

The geographic number portability (GNP) regulations, published in September 2005, stipulate that operators should ensure the capability to provide individual number portability within 12 months of a request from another operator, and within two months of such a request for block number portability.

A Neotel spokesperson says the second national operator submitted its request to Telkom for number portability in early 2006, and the fixed-line operators are now required to ensure their networks are geared for number portability by February this year.

A source close to the process also says the implementation date for fixed-line porting has been set for February. However, ITWeb was unable to confirm the date with the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA).

Legal, technical requirements

The two fixed-line operators say they and ICASA will have to meet legal and technical requirements before fixed-line number portability can be implemented. These include the promulgation of the Functional Specifications for GNP by ICASA, as well as the development of an order system specification (OSS) by the operators.

"Telkom will be unable to determine the time required to implement number portability until the functional specification regulations are published," says the fixed-line operator.

A Neotel spokesperson adds that the second operator has been in discussion with ICASA to try to accelerate the promulgation of the functional specifications. Neotel has also engaged with Telkom for the development of the OSS, he says.

"We have reached advanced stages of finalising a mutually acceptable OSS."

The spokesperson adds that a comprehensive inter-operator system supporting the OSS is expected to take considerable time to develop.

Alternative arrangements

Telkom and Neotel are deploying alternative arrangements to ensure number portability can take place in the fixed-line environment across both operators, he says.

However, it is unclear whether the services of the Number Portability Company, which provides porting for the mobile operators, will be or has been sought.

Clive Fagan, GM of the Number Portability Company, says the company could theoretically provide for fixed-line number portability.

However, the rules and other issues differ somewhat from the mobile number portability requirement and would have to be customised to meet that requirement, he says.

"It would make sense, for a number of good business reasons, that all porting activity to be managed by Number Portability Company, but this decision would need to be taken by the relevant parties, agreed to in principle and an appropriate agreement drawn up," he says.

Fagan would not confirm whether the two operators have approached the Number Portability Company to use its service.

Operators' readiness

While Telkom would not respond to questions as to its readiness to provide fixed-line portability, Neotel says its network will support number portability from the beginning of operations.

Neotel also says it is working closely with Telkom to ensure similar capability readiness on both networks.

The Neotel spokesperson adds that in the event that any operator has not developed the capability for GNP on their network in time, such an operator will be in contravention of the regulation.