Azerbaijan, Baku, May 13 / Trend H. Valiyev /
The service of mobile number portability (MNP) must be launched by all three mobile operators in Azerbaijan at the same time, Bakcell Corporate Sales department head Zaur Bayramov said.
He said that introducing this service is part of an Azerbaijani Communications and IT Ministry initiative.
"This service is a component of the billing systems operators," he said. "As opposed to launching the manat tariff system for CIN-subscribers, a number of important measures are required. The ministry has already given the appropriate instructions to all three operators. It is unknown when the service will become available. However, all operators must be prepared for launching as it must be simultaneous."
The Azerbaijani Communications and IT Ministry has agreed to the rules of introducing the services on Mobile Number Portability (MNP) with the mobile operators, Aliyar Tamirov, the head of the department under the ministry, previously told Trend.
He said that the coordinated rules will be submitted to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Justice. After its approving, the infrastructure will be created to introduce this service.
The introduction of MNP service in Azerbaijan will allow users to preserve his/her phone number if the operator is changed. It allows him/her to inform their loved ones and business partners about the change of telephone numbers.
A working group consisting of representatives of operators of fixed and mobile communications operating on Azerbaijan's telecommunication market was created to introduce the service in Azerbaijan.
The introduction of numbers portability can stimulate the development of competition, as operators will be forced to make extra efforts to retain their old users and to render more attractive services to attract new ones.