KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 (Bernama) -- The appointment of a clearing house operator for the implementation of mobile number portability (MNP) would be based on their technologies, experiences and the Research and Development aspect of the bidding telecommunications company, Energy, Water and Communications minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said Wednesday.
He said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had earlier decided the clearing house operator for MNP would be picked from an "independent telecommunications company" (telco) and currently there are four telcos that were bidding for the MNP clearing house licence.
Among the companies in the running for the clearing house licence include Talian Gerak Alih Sdn Bhd, whose partners are US-based Telcordia Technologies Inc and Unified Communications Ltd.
The others are NP clearinghouse Sdn Bhd (foreign partner Syniverse Technologies of Florida), MSCtrustgate.com (foreign partner Verisign of California), Solution Provider Asia and Swedtel Southeast Asia (foreign partner Worldtel Ltd of Sweden) and Nusa Advanced Systems (foreign partner Neustar plc of Virginia).
MNP, which has been implemented in several other countries, allows mobile users to switch service providers without changing their phone numbers.
A clearing house operator is required to manage the database of all mobile subscribers and re-route all calls and data traffic for a fee that will charged to the telcos.
"In order to make it a success (MNP), we need to access their companies, of their technologies, their experiences and the R & D, before we adopt their system to work in Malaysia," he told Bernama here Wednesday.
In selecting the telco for the MNP licence, Dr Lim said priority would be given to assessing the telco's financial capabilities and the technologies before making a final decision.
"MCMC's access to the foreign partner's technologies and financial capabilities of their local partner will decide who should roll out (the MNP clearing house)," he told Bernama when asked on the recent news report that he has favoured Talian Gerak Alih Sdn Bhd as the clearing house operator for MNP.
A local weekly publication reported that Talian Gerak, whose partner Telcordia Technologies Inc is owned by Sinar Aturan Sdn Bhd, which in turn is 70 percent owned by Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail.
"I'm interested in Telcordia not Talian Gerak. Telcordia has technological experience and most of the other telcos buy the machinery from Telcordia for MNP. This is based on my own research.
Asked if Talian Gerak Alih Sdn Bhd would finally be picked as the MNP clearing house operator, Dr Lim said MCMC would make the final decision.
On when the MCMC was expected to make their decision on the matter, Dr Lim said "that, you should ask MCMC,"
The news report also said the lucrative nature of the clearing house job stems from the high and growing mobile volume, which saw 75 billion calls and sata traffic being send last year has cause the intense bidding for the MNP house clearing licence.
However until now, there was still no decision on which "independent telco" would be picked by MCMC for the job after the Energy, Water and Communications ministry issued a directive on MNP on Sept 10, 2004 to MCMC to undertake a study to ensure its effective implementation.
Regulators and industry players have targeted to implement MNP by early 2008.