ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, Sept 18, CMC – Antigua and Barbuda has set November 23, this year as a possible date for the introduction of number portability under a project that started since 2022.
A statement issued following the weekly Cabinet meeting noted that a senior manager of the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA), accompanied by a consultant engaged in the implementation process, provided a detailed presentation on the implementation of Mobile Number Portability, an initiative that will allow telecommunications customers to change service providers while retaining their existing telephone numbers.
According to the statement, Cabinet was advised that the project is a technically complex undertaking requiring the systems of the country’s telecommunications operators to communicate seamlessly with a central clearinghouse. The process involves changes not only to network infrastructure but also to business, customer-service and retail systems.
The consultant explained that once number portability becomes operational, a customer wishing to move from one telecommunications provider to another will be able to do so without surrendering the telephone number he or she already uses. This is expected to give consumers greater freedom of choice and encourage stronger competition among telecommunications providers.
The statement said that Cabinet was informed that the implementation process has now reached the important porting and routing testing stages and that porting testing confirms that the systems of the various operators can successfully process the transfer of a customer’s number from one network to another.
“Cabinet was advised that the principal outstanding issues identified to date are not expected to prevent the operators from significantly accelerating the number of test transactions and moving the project towards completion.”
The statement said that the presentation also outlined work being undertaken to ensure that international services function properly after portability is introduced, including issues associated with SMS-based two-factor authentication used by many online platforms and digital services.
It said that following discussions with the telecommunications operators, Cabinet was advised that a November 23, 2026 target date is considered achievable and that the implementation schedule has been deliberately structured to provide sufficient time for the remaining technical work, end-to-end testing and public education programme, while minimising the possibility of disruption to telecommunications services.
“Cabinet was advised that the operators have committed to completing porting testing by October 23, after which further routing and end-to-end testing will continue. Testing will also extend to the retail environment to ensure that the experience of customers seeking to transfer their numbers works as intended before the service is made available nationally.”
The statement said that the proposed November 23 date also takes account of Antigua and Barbuda’s hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit and that “introducing significant technical network changes during that period would create unnecessary risk and that an appropriate interval should be allowed before the new service is activated.
“Cabinet was also informed that a comprehensive public education and awareness campaign is being prepared to ensure that consumers understand how number portability will work, the procedures for transferring a number and their responsibilities when requesting a transfer.”
The statement said that while Cabinet welcomed the progress reported, it has noted that the successful implementation of number portability requires coordinated action among APUA and the other telecommunications operators, the central clearinghouse, technical consultants and the government, with each party required to complete its respective component before the system can be successfully launched.
CMC/agir/2026