The National Information and Communication Technology Authority (NICTA) is preparing to implement Mobile Number Portability (MNP) following the full acceptance of its recommendations by Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Hon. Robert Naguri.
The Minister announced his decision in a statement and report released on October 28, 2026, following a public consultation conducted by the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) in accordance with Section 189(5) of the NICT Act 2009.
Under Section 189(6) of the Act, the Minister accepted all recommendations submitted by NICTA, allowing preparations for the introduction of MNP to proceed.
Mobile Number Portability will allow mobile phone users to keep their existing numbers when moving from one service provider to another, giving consumers more freedom to choose between operators without the inconvenience of changing their numbers.
The service is expected to improve competition among mobile operators, encourage more affordable services and give consumers greater choice.
NICTA estimates that MNP could deliver between US$80 million and US$150 million in benefits to consumers and the telecommunications market over five years. This is significantly higher than the estimated implementation cost of between US$14 million and US$17 million.
However, the service will not be available immediately. NICTA said MNP will be implemented within 24 months of the Minister’s declaration, with regulations, business rules and the necessary infrastructure to be put in place before its launch.
The implementation will involve close cooperation between NICTA and the three mobile network operators, Digicel, Vodafone and Telikom, alongside government agencies and other ICT stakeholders.
NICTA said it would continue to provide regulatory oversight and support throughout the implementation process.
The Authority also thanked stakeholders who took part in the public consultation, acknowledging the role of mobile operators and other industry participants in the process.
Once implemented, MNP is expected to make it easier for consumers to move between mobile networks while encouraging operators to compete through better services, pricing and network quality.