Electronic Communications Act, 2005 (Act No. 36 of 2005) Regulations Number Portability Regulations, 2018 1. Definitions

 

In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise indicates, a word or expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act shall have the meaning so assigned—

 

"Act"

means the Electronic Communications Act, 2005 (Act No. 36 of 2005), as amended;

 

"block operator"

means a licensee that has been allocated a number block under the National Numbering Plan;

 

"calling line identification"

has the meaning assigned to it in the Numbering Plan Regulations, as amended;

 

"national number portability database"

means a database that manages the porting transaction between the recipient and donor operator to port a number/number block, by keeping and updating a record of all ported number/number block at any given time to inform the routing of calls to the ported number/number block by licensees;

 

"donor operator"

means a licensee from which the number/number block is being or has ported out;

 

"functional specification"

means a regulation determining the rules applicable to licensees for the implementation, management and performance of number portability;

 

"geographic number"

has the meaning assigned to it in the Numbering Plan Regulations, as amended;

 

"invalid number port"

is defined as when a subscriber has been unknowingly or unwittingly ported;

 

"licensee"

means a person or entity issued with an individual electronic communications services (I-ECS) licence;

 

"mobile number"

has the meaning assigned to it in the Numbering Plan Regulations, as amended;

 

"mobile service"

has the meaning assigned to it in the Numbering Plan Regulations, as amended;

 

"non-geographic number"

has the meaning assigned to it in the Numbering Plan Regulations, as amended;

 

"Numbering Plan Regulations"

Means the Numbering Plan Regulations Notice No. 370 of 24 March 2016 Gazette No. 39861;

 

"number portability"

has the meaning assigned to it in the Act;

 

"number portability routing code"

means a "D" code that is used to identify the recipient operator of a ported number;

 

"ordering system specification"

means a specification of the procedures by which a recipient operator and a donor operator exchange information between each other in order to provide number portability to a subscriber, including the information to be sent, the format of the information, the means of communication, the times when communications may be sent, the time limits for responses and the handling of error conditions;

 

"recipient operator"

means a licensee to whom a number/number block has been ported in and provides a service to a subscriber number after porting;

 

"Subscriber"

has the meaning assigned to it in the Act;

 

"Subscriber equipment"

has the meaning assigned to it in the Act;

 

"subscriber identity module (SIM)"

is an integrated circuit that encrypts voice and data transmissions and securely stores the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number so that a subscriber can be identified and authenticated by their respective network.