Legal approval received for number portability: TRCSL DG

Legal approval has been received for mobile number portability (MNP), Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) Director General Oshada Senanayake said.

He said this at an online press conference organized by the Presidential Media Centre (PMC) yesterday.

MNP will enable customers to retain their telephone numbers while changing from one service provider to another.
The move, which will effectively help break the current consumer lock-in practice, is expected to be implemented by the end of this year. MNP was resisted by telcos for many years, though not openly. However, the TRCSL was successful in having a breakthrough in this regard last year.

“MNP is going to create a lot of empowerment. The consumer will now have the right to decide on the best service providers that he or she would prefer to be with. Telcos will now have to give their 100 percent on service delivery, which is good for the industry,” Senanayake said in an earlier interview with Mirror Business. 

He added that MNP would shatter the prevailing glass ceiling in the industry, create a level playing field and a conducive environment for all service providers, regardless of their size.