TRA Bahrain to launch number portability

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of Bahrain plans to launch mobile number portability in the country on 17th July. This launch is to be followed by the number portability for fixed telephony two months later.

The Bahrain regulator has appointed Systor Intereurope Systems as the chosen solution provider for the implementation and operation of the number portability central system.

Ahmed Aldoseri, Bahrain TRA's director for ICT, said: "The number portability central system is a key component of the number portability process. TRA intends to implement a system that will enable subscribers to easily and freely port their numbers between licensed operators. This is a major milestone for Bahrain, and it is also expected to stimulate competition in the market."

Bahrain's three mobile operators, Batelco, Zain and Viva will have access to the central system, which is being hosted by the Bahrain Internet Exchange (BIX).

Mohamed Al-Thawadi, executive director of BIX, said that access to the number portability central system is open to most of the operators as they are already using BIX services.

The central system is a platform that coordinates the exchange of messages between licensed operators in order to smoothly conduct number portability operations for subscribers. The system also maintains the authoritative database of ported numbers and performance metrics of all licensed operators involved in number portability. This ensures that the TRA makes sure that the  rights and responsibilities of all parties affected by number portability are upheld.