TELCOR sets fourteen months to implement mobile number portability

The Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Posts (TELCOR) approved the “Roadmap for the Implementation of Mobile Number Portability (MNP),” which sets a maximum deadline of fourteen calendar months for mobile telephony users to be able to keep their number when changing operators. The decision is contained in Administrative Agreement Number 001-2026 (Reg. 2026-00942), published in La Gaceta, Official Gazette No. 177 on September 29, 2026, and was signed by Director General Nahima Janett Díaz Flores.

TELCOR acts as the Regulatory Authority of the sector based on Law Number 1223, General Law of Convergent Telecommunications, whose article 95, numeral 3, recognizes number portability as a fundamental right of users. The agreement was signed in Managua on September 25, 2026, and entered into force upon its publication.

On the same day, La Gaceta published Administrative Agreement Number 002-2026 (Reg. 2026-00943), which issues the “Number Portability Regulations for Mobile Service,” a complementary instrument that develops procedures, deadlines, and sanctions.

Calendar: four phases until November 2027

The period runs from the formal start of Phase 1 on October 1, 2026, and closes on November 30, 2027. The schedule is divided into four phases:

• Phase 1 (October 1 – December 22, 2026): initial diagnosis, early rules, and contracting of the CNDB.
• Phase 2 (December 23, 2026 – May 15, 2027): design, network parameters, and interface integration.
• Phase 3 (May 16 – September 30, 2027): validation, training, and final certification.
• Phase 4 (October 1 – November 30, 2027): deployment, launch, and initial intensive monitoring.

The critical milestone is the signing of the single contract with the Centralized Database Administrator (CNDB) entity, which must be concluded by December 15, 2026.

Obligations for operators and for the administering entity

Mobile operators and the CNDB are required to align the development of their interfaces, update their core platforms (BSS/OSS and CRM), and execute interconnection tests within the time windows and acceptance criteria set in the Roadmap. Non-compliance is sanctioned according to the infringement regime of the Number Portability Regulations.

Governance falls under the Number Portability Steering Committee (CDPN), chaired by TELCOR and composed of two representatives from each mobile operator; the CNDB participates with a voice but without a vote. The CDPN must submit monthly milestone progress reports to the General Directorate of TELCOR.

Deadlines and rights for the user

• Single porting: maximum 24 hours.
• Multiple porting: from 2 to 10 numbers, 2 business days; from 11 to 20, four; from 21 to 50, eight; from 51 to 100, twelve; more than 100, fifteen.
• Service interruption: maximum 60 minutes per number; 120 minutes during the three-month stabilization period.
• All portings are free of charge, and the short code 7678 (PORT) must operate at no cost to the user.

With this schedule, Nicaragua sets a date for a right that until now lacked an execution route: portability forces operators to compete for the customer without withholding their number, and enables the reduction of entry barriers for new operators. For users, the direct impact is the possibility of changing companies while retaining their numerical identity, under free-of-charge conditions and with verifiable maximum timeframes.

Source: La Gaceta, Official Gazette No. 177, September 29, 2026, Section I, page 9418 (official reference: Reg. 2026-00942).