‘Lanka Portability’ to facilitate number portability

The country’s telecommunications service providers this week announced that the implementation of number portability in Sri Lanka is progressing, with a central company already set up, which is looking at recruiting the team needed for its deployment. 

Speaking at Sri Lanka’s Internet Day 2022, organized by the Federation of Information Technology Sri Lanka (FITIS), Bharti Airtel Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd. CEO Ashish Chandra said that a company called ‘Lanka Portability’ has been formed and all the telecommunication service providers in the country are part of it. 

“Last year, the regulator [Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka] laid the framework on implementing the number portability and the full portability, which includes fixed services, in Sri Lanka. There’s a company that’s been formed – Lanka Portability – which all the telcos are part of. We have commenced our work and we are in the early stages of launching the portability,” said Chandra, at the event held on Tuesday (22).  

However, he noted that the implementation of number portability “is a big technical investment” and that Sri Lanka does not currently have the local wherewithal to implement it.

“It is a few million dollars which have to be put in and implementation itself takes about two to three quarters. I do not see it happening in the next two to three quarters but work is happening in this particular direction and hopefully next year we should be able to see it,” he said. 

A 10-12 month game

Explaining the proceedings of ‘Lanka Portability’ in greater detail, Lanka Bell (Pvt.) Ltd. Managing Director Dr. Prasad Samarasinghe said that the telecommunications service providers are part of its director board and that it is chaired by the Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) CEO. 

“We have held three board meetings so far and now, we have to recruit the team, finalize the equipment, bring it down, and interconnect it with the telcos to go live.” 

Dr. Samarasinghe explained that with “today’s situation,” an exact plan on when it will be launched cannot be given. “I don’t think we can do it fast as the company’s mandate is to go live with not only mobile but also fixed line at the same time. The requirement is to prioritize mobile. As technical guys, I think we can all understand that routing cannot happen automatically. This is easily a 10 to 12 month game.”

“It is happening but we will take time,” he added. 

Last year, the TRCSL announced legal clearance for telecommunications service providers to implement number portability in Sri Lanka. This has been a long contested issue, with consumers requesting the service for decades. Sri Lanka remains one of the last countries in the South Asian region to not have provided this service for consumers, which increases ease and flexibility of switching service providers, whilst being able to retain their mobile numbers.