By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
NUMBER portability should provide significant cost savings for business looking to change service providers, while allowing them to retain their existing numbers, a senior private sector official said yesterday.
Edison Sumner, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) chief executive, said: “We think that number portability is a good thing. It gives business persons the option of transferring their phone numbers to another service provider without having to change the number.
“That is going to be a tremendous benefit to businesses because they can avoid the cost of having to change letter heads, take out advertisements, inform contacts and change their paraphernalia.
“It is also good because it increases the level of competitiveness among the service providers, whereas if you are not providing good service, you run the risk of losing that business to another provider. We are hoping that overt ime it would also work towards the cost of communications services in the country, because like energy that is alsogoing to be a significant cost, especially when it comes to long distance charges.”
Executives of the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) informed members of the business community on its number portability initiative at a meeting yesterday.
Number portability for land-lines will become available in the Bahamas on September 3 in places where there is more than fixed line telephone services provider. Currently that includes Abaco, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama and New Providence.
Number portability will not be available for cellular services until after The Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) monopoly ends in April next year.
Mr Sumner added that there were a number of issues the business community was concerned about, such as the increase in Business Licence fees.
“The increase in Business Licence fees is a significant issue members are concerned about,” he added.
“The energy issue is ongoing, although BEC is attempting to make some adjustments. We want to see how that is going to materialise and trickle down to businesses.
“The cost of doing business as it relates to the VAT is a concern and the Customs duties as well, whereas businesses and importers are required to pay a percentage of the value of their imports as part of the processing fee. We are concerned about that. We have to see how it plays out.”
Mr Sumner added that the BCCEC will present to the Government a position paper on its 2013/2014 Budget.
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