IT has taken nearly three years, but on Monday mobile phone users will finally be able to keep their number when they switch providers.

Known as mobile number portability, the new system heralds a new era of competition in the Island’s mobile market.
As a result, it is expected to be a very busy few weeks leading up to Christmas for Airtel-Vodafone, Jersey Telecom and Sure mobile as the three battle for business. The companies say that they are expecting to do swift business of Monday.

Airtel and JT said that they were not doing anything specifically different, but both firms will be staffing their shops to a level that they believe will cope with customer demand. Sure will officially open its King Street store at 8 am but the first customer to move to Sure from Jersey Telecom is scheduled to have their number transferred at 7.45 am.

The executive director of the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority, Chuck Webb, said that he was very pleased that mobile number portability (MNP) was becoming a reality from Monday. The JCRA’s first proposal on MNP was put out in early 2006 and Mr Webb said: ‘It has been a regulatory priority for us for some time. We are very pleased to have achieved it in co-operation with the operators and on a pan-Channel Islands basis.’

• Picture: The three players in the Jersey mobile phone market are expecting a busy day at the office when the system changes on Monday