The government of Uruguay has approved the timetable for the long-delayed introduction of mobile number portability (MNP), which enables mobile users to retain their number if they switch service provider.
TeleSemana reports that a number portability database administrator will be selected to manage the process next month, with contracts and agreements with mobile operators expected to follow in March.
By July tests of the system should begin ahead of a commercial launch of MNP on 1 October 2021. Mobile operators will bear the cost of the number transfer process, which should take no more than three days to complete.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, Law 19,889/2020, which was approved in July 2020, declares that number portability is a right of users of mobile telephony services.
Article 472 states that operators are obliged to offer MNP under the guidelines provided by the regulator and that they will also have to assume the costs of adapting their networks and systems to implement portability. These costs cannot be transferred to end-users.
Two months later, a committee comprising representatives from industry regulators and mobile operators was established to prepare for the introduction of MNP. The committee is responsible for formulating a timetable for the introduction of MNP, reviewing the numbering plan and determining the costs.
Source: https://www.commsupdate.com/articles/2021/01/22/uruguay-set-to-launch-mnp-in-october/