Coop Mobile 'challenging' JT over number transfers
BBCTelecoms firms have complained about another company over an issue with transferring phone numbers, regulators have said.
Coop Mobile, which uses Sure's network, said customers who wanted to switch from JT had been unable to keep their existing number - known as number porting.
The Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority (JCRA) said it had received complaints from Coop and Sure about the issue and it was "actively engaging" with all the relevant parties.
JT said that, as Coop operated its service on a different network, swapping numbers over was "complex", but porting between the firms formed part of a "significant network upgrade programme", which was in its final stages.
Channel Islands Coop chief executive Mark Cox said in a letter to members it was "disappointing" number porting was not possible.
Cox said: "We're actively challenging this with the regulator and will continue to push hard to have number transfers made available as soon as possible."
A JT spokesperson said upgrade work had been under way for four years and implementing the number porting change required detailed technical configuration and coordination between operators.
"Once the necessary configuration has been received and reviewed, we will determine how this work can best be scheduled within the programme," the spokesperson said.
The BBC has approached Sure for comment.
JCRA chief executive Tim Ringsdore said the regulator was speaking to the firms along with its counterparts at the Guernsey Competition and Regulatory Authority in an attempt understand and resolve the issue "as quickly as possible".
Ringsdore said the JCRA knew number portability was an "important feature of a competitive telecoms market".
He added: "Our priority is to ensure that the mobile market continues to operate in a way that promotes fair competition and protects consumer choice."
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