On Tuesday July 30th the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) issued a Preliminary Determination providing for the implementation of Fixed Number Portability (FNP) in The Bahamas. The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and Cable Bahamas Limited (CBL) are the current providers of fixed telephone services in the country.

Among the areas addressed in the Preliminary Determination are business rules for these licensed operators, issues related to cost allocation and recovery, and licensee obligations and readiness for FNP implementation. The FNP launch date is September 3, 2013. The Preliminary Determination and Draft Order requires that BTC and CBL ensure that required systems and processes for the implementation of FNP are installed and tested by no later than August 31, 2013.

The document is available for public consultation. The deadline to respond is September 2, 2013.