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Serbs port over 219,000 mobile numbers three years after service launch [IntelliNews - Weekly Reports](IntelliNews - Weekly Reports Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Serbs have ported over 219,000 mobile numbers in the three years after the service launch in July 2011, according to data of the agency for electronic telecommunications, Ratel, as quoted by news agency Beta. At the same time, an overall 8,120 fixed-line numbers were ported towards July 1, 2014 - three months of the service became available. A total of 9.2 million numbers are active in the mobile networks and 3.0 million in the landline networks, the report said. Mobile phone users in the country can choose among three mobile operators - state-controlled Telekom Srbija's mobile arm m:ts, Norway's Telenor local unit of the same name and Vip Mobile, owned by Telekom Austria. On the other hand, there are nine fixed telephony operators - Telekom Srbija, Telenor Serbia, the largest cable operator in the country - SBB, as well as smaller domestic providers Orion Telekom, Ikom, Invest Inzenjering, Beogrid, Knight Development Support (KDS) and Jet TV. The fixed number portability service was due to begin on December 1, 2012 but back then Ratel delayed its launch indefinitely as state-controlled Telekom Srbija, which holds the largest market share in the segment, was not ready. The service became available eventually as of April 1, 2014. Serbia started liberalising its fixed telephony market in January 2012, allowing all interested companies to start providing this service only after receiving a permit from the domestic regulator (without the need to purchase an operating licence). (c) 2014 Emerging Markets Direct Media Holdings LLC Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |