Uruguay’s government is appointing a database administrator to begin implementing mobile number portability after many delays.
According to reporting by TeleSemana, the administrator will be selected next month while it is expected that mobile operators will begin signing mobile number portability agreements in March.
Trials of the system will begin in July, with a commercial launch of MNP slated for 1st October 2021. The changeover period for transferring numbers should take no longer than three days, with operators obliged to absorb the cost.
As reported by TeleGeography, in July 2020 Uruguay approved Law 19,889/2020 enshrining mobile number portability as a right for all mobile telephony users. Article 472 of this law stipulates that operators must be able to offer MNP, covering the costs of any network upgrades or system implementations required. They are not allowed to increase tariffs for end users in order to cover these costs.
In September 2020, a committee was set up to create a roadmap and timescale for implementing MNP, including cost estimates and analysing numbering plans.