DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates again delayed mobile number portability on Tuesday, the chief executive of telecom operator du told reporters. The deadline had already been extended to the end of this month and would have allowed customers of du and Etisalat to have switched operators without having to change their phone number. Now, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) had previously stated number portability would have been available by mid-2008, but it remains to be manifested in a country known for its technological prowess. Number portability is seen as a major boost to competition. When asked if number portability had been delayed again, Osman Sultan, du's chief executive, told reporters “that is correct.” “We were testing. In the testing phase certain technical issues can appear. We are just evaluating how long it will take,” he said. It is still unclear when mobile number portability will be available in the country. BM
