Phone number portability draft law published

Bahrain's telecoms regulator on Sunday issued a public consultation document on the implementation of number portability, which will allow phone numbers to be transferred between operators through the establishment of a central database.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said all interested parties have been invited to respond to the draft regulation, under which operators will be required to allow customers to transfer their numbers, something that is currently not allowed.

TRA general director Alan Horne said the move will "empower the consumers with more choice and freedom to select any operator for their fixed or mobile services".

"The implementation of number portability will encourage operators to improve services to keep their customers," Horne said in a statement.

The statement did not say how long the consultation will last for.