Sri Lanka will impose Mobile Number Portability (MNP) by regulatory directive if telecommunication operators fail to reach a consensus by the end of September, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne has said.
“If the telecom industry does not come to an agreement by the end of September, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission will proceed by way of direction,” Weeraratne said.
Number portability allows a subscriber to switch service providers while keeping the same phone number. The rollout has stalled over a disagreement about the original plan, which was to launch mobile and fixed-line portability at the same time.
Where the plan stalled
Lanka Number Portability Services Limited, a joint venture formed by all fixed and mobile operators to run the rollout, received its licence in September 2024.
One fixed-line operator subsequently asked for the joint plan to be reviewed, citing heavy costs, complex system modifications and a lack of clear commercial returns on the fixed side. The operator argued that fixed connections are now used mainly for fibre internet access, where retaining the same telephone number matters far less than it does for mobile.
Operators have already made initial investments to prepare their networks for MNP, but agreements and purchase orders for the technical systems remain on hold while the dispute continues.
Mobile first
Weeraratne said the government’s position is that keeping a phone number has become essential for citizens using modern digital services.
“To be locked to an operator is now to be locked out of choices that affect far more than a telephone bill,” he said.
He pointed to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Kenya, where a mobile-first, phased approach has been the norm and fixed number portability remains limited or absent.
