Budgeted. Announced. Abandoned. Where Did the Money Go?
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WHAT JUST HAPPENED
At the most recent sitting of Parliament, Minister Milford Nicholas again stated that mobile number portability is “nearing completion.”
This marks the 8th documented promise since 2018 that the reform is imminent.
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WHY IT MATTERS
Mobile Number Portability (MNP) allows consumers to keep their phone numbers when switching providers. It:
• increases competition,
• lowers consumer costs,
• protects small businesses, and
• prevents telecom monopolies from locking in customers.
MNP is standard worldwide and already implemented across much of the Caribbean.
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THE RECORD: 8 PROMISES, NO DELIVERY
Documented public assurances from official sources:
1. 2018 – Antigua News Room
Government announced it was “moving ahead” with number portability.
2. 2019 – Antigua Observer
Ministry confirmed discussions and preparatory work had begun.
3. 2021 – Antigua News Room
Public statements suggested testing was underway and rollout was months away.
4. 2022 – Government communications
Timelines revised after earlier deadlines passed.
5. 2023 (early) – Antigua Observer
Launch projected for late 2023 following vendor delays.
6. 2023 (late) – Antigua Observer
Target shifted again to 2024.
7. 2024 – ABS / Antigua News Room
Minister blamed telecom providers but insisted completion was imminent.
8. 2025 – Antigua News Room (Parliament)
Minister Nicholas again described the project as “nearing completion.”
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THE MONEY QUESTION
• Parliament approved budget allocations for telecom modernization and number portability across multiple years.
• At least EC$1.5 million was explicitly identified in national budget documents for local number portability infrastructure.
• The project remains unfinished.
Key question:
👉 Where did the money go?
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AUDIT & ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUE
Under the Constitution:
• The Director of Audit must track whether public funds produce the outcomes approved by Parliament.
• Repeatedly budgeted but undelivered projects must be flagged and explained.
No comprehensive audit report explaining the failure of this project has been laid before Parliament.
👉 Silence is not neutrality—it is institutional failure.
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REGIONAL COMPARISON
Antigua & Barbuda is an outlier:
• ECTEL States (e.g., Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada): Implemented MNP in 2019
• Jamaica: 2015
• Barbados: 2023
Antigua & Barbuda remains in “preparation” after seven years.
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THE CORE ISSUE
This is no longer about technology.
It is about:
• public money without public results,
• announcements replacing delivery, and
• audit mechanisms failing to protect taxpayers.
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QUESTIONS JOURNALISTS SHOULD ASK
1. How much money has been allocated and spent on number portability year by year?
2. Who received those funds, and for what deliverables?
3. Why has no audit report explained the repeated failure?
4. When—exact date—will MNP go live, and who is accountable if it does not?
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BOTTOM LINE
Budgeted. Announced. Abandoned.
Until the money is fully accounted for, “number portability is nearing completion” remains a recycled promise—not a policy achievement
