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NTC commissioner Rianchai Reowailaisuk said that the NTC would announce the regulations late this year. He made his remarks during hearings on draft regulations between the NTC and telecom operators yesterday.

Mobile-number portability gives mobile-phone subscribers the right to use their existing phone numbers with any new network.

The NTC has given priority to mobile-number portability instead of to fixed telephones due to the huge numbers of mobile-phone subscribers. The promotion of fixed-line number portability will involve much greater technical complications.

There are around 50 million mobile-phone numbers being used in Thailand, compared to six million fixed-line numbers. The cost to the consumerof transferring existing phone numbers to new networks is Bt300 per time.

Representatives of Total Access Communication (DTAC) said that all cellular operators were ready to implement mobile-number portability and would jointly invest and manage a clearing-house system without the need for a third party.

The role of the clearing house is to collect a database of mobile-phone numbers and to facilitate their portability.

The NTC will stage public hearings on the draft regulations from next week through August in the four regions of the country.