Subtel Plans Number Portability Studies for Mobile

Chile's telecoms regulator Subtel expects to start studying number portability models for the mobile sector in the next few months, local press quoted Subtel head Pablo Bello as saying.

The key area of study will be the costs involved in implementing the facility, Bello said adding that these costs could prove higher than the benefits they would generate.

Subtel has done similar studies for fixed line telephony and estimates it would cost US$50mn to implement the system in this sector, whereas the cost for mobile operators would be about US$36mn.

Several congressmen recently called for regulation of the mobile sector due to claims that service quality has degenerated, but Bello insisted that there is sufficient competition in the mobile sector for it to be self-regulating. Subtel believes it is sufficient to publish service quality indices and rankings, he added.

BNAmericas.com"

Posted to the site on 1st September 2006