CRA manages Qatar’s telephone numbers, a valuable resource, with demand significantly increasing as growth continues in the country, and the implementation of the National Numbering Plan. The National Numbering Plan addresses all matters related to the current telecommunications services as well as anticipated new services.
Numbering is managed through a centralized Numbering Management System to automate all the numbering resource management functions, including numbering block allocations, reservations and reporting.
In 2010, Qatar’s phone numbers were changed from seven to eight digits to create an additional 36 million mobile and 9 million fixed phone numbers, surpassing the highest expected demand for the coming years.
In 2012, Qatar implemented mobile number portability; a service that allows consumers to retain their existing mobile phone numbers when changing from one service provider to another as an important part of the liberalization of Qatar’s telecommunications market and bringing the benefits of competition to consumers.
