ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will implement mobile phone number portability by April 2006, said PTA Chairman Maj Gen (r) Shahzada Alam Malik during a press conference on Monday.

“Over 50 percent of the groundwork has been completed and cellular phone companies have finalised the terms of reference (ToRs),” said Malik. The equipment needed will be purchased and installed before the deadline, he added.

Under the facility, subscribers to a cellular phone operator will be able to switch to another operator without having to change their numbers. The PTA chairman said Pakistan would be the first South Asian country to introduce the facility. He said cellular phone users had demanded the service.

Malik refused to comment about negotiations between the federal government and Etisalat over the privatisation of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited. “I will not answer any question regarding PTCL and Etisalat but hope that both parties concerned will reach a settlement,” he said.

All cellular phone operators are providing satisfactory service according to the latest PTA survey, said the chairman. He said the survey’s results would be made public within 10 days. He hoped Wireless Local Loop (WLL) services would expand in the country because it provided quality telecommunication to subscribers. There are 450,000 WLL subscribers in the country.

Malik said the PTA, Kashmir and Northern Areas Ministry and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government were negotiating a policy allowing cellular phone operators to operate permanently in AJK. Cellular phone operators were allowed to operate in AJK for two months to help in relief operations for October 8 earthquake victims. PTA will extend the period for three more months, he added.