CRC forms NP committee

Colombia’s Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC) has formed a technical committee for the introduction of number portability (NP), according to BNamericas. The technical committee’s responsibilities include: defining concepts related to the implementation and operation of NP, promoting cooperation between sector players, ensuring that network operators and service providers meet obligations under NP and forming work groups to focus on technical, legal and financial issues related to portability. According to the timeline provided by the CRC, the technical committee is to have the general outline of conditions for NP by 26 March; the bidding rules and conditions for the contract to manage NP are to be defined by 23 April and fine-tuned and finalised by 31 May; and the selection and signing of the contract with the NP manager by the end of August. Network and system adjustments are to be made to accommodate NP through April 2011, test runs are to be carried out during May and June of 2011, and NP is to be formally launched in July 2011.