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The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) yesterday unveiled plans to launch a 10 digit telephone numbering system which will take Sri Lanka another step forward to be in line with the international telecommunications procedures and methods.

Senior TRC Consultant P.K. Wickramarachchi told the media in Colombo yesterday that an appropriate telecommunications numbering plan is vital to stimulate continued growth of effective telecommunications infrastructure in Sri Lanka, in accordance with the government's policy to move towards a liberalised and technology neutral model. TRCSL said that the present telephone numbering plan developed more than 30 years ago, when there were about 100,000 telephone lines in use has now outlived its life. Sri Lanka has approximately 1.8 million telephone lines in use and the demand for new lines are ever increasing.

In this scenario the country needs a comprehensive numbering plan that will take into account telephone line requirements and telecom services of the future, Wickramarachchi said.

The 10-digit numbering plan seeks to create a level playing field for all fixed line and mobile operators, thus stimulating healthy competition. The new number plan will also provide for a vast number of resources to meet the future demand.

The new number plan will provide for a uniform ten-digit number across fixed and mobile lines, consisting of a standard three-digit area code plus a seven-digit subscriber number for fixed lines and a three-digit operator code plus a seven-digit subscriber number for mobile lines. An important feature would be that all fixed lines (wireless and wireline) would have a geographic identity determined by the area code. The new number plan will enable the introduction of emerging services such as free phone services and make provision for standardised short codes for all operators such as emergency services such as Fire, Ambulance and Police.

TRCSL said that to implement the changes smoothly and with the least possible inconvenience to the user, the implementation will be undertaken in stages, commencing June this year. TRCSL hopes to wrap up the entire project during the course of this year. At present one has to dial a code such as 01, 074 or 075 to reach a customer in the SLT, Suntel or Lanka Bell network, when having a connection different to the network trying to reach it.

This is irrespective of the fact that the outgoing and incoming callers are in the same area.

The new services emerging require more numbers than the actual connections.

Then there is this tremendous growth of connections for fixed and mobile connections. All this means that the present system of mixed seven and eight digit national numbers are totally inadequate to meet these requirements.

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