TELECOMMUNICATIONS company LIME hopes there will be no obstruction to local number portability (LNP) which it hopes will come into effect this year.

LNP allows mobile users to switch telephone service providers while keeping the same number.

"It shouldn't take forever, it can't take two months, but it can be done in 2013," said LIME Jamaica Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Garry Sinclair.

"What it needs is a common platform for LIME and its competitors to use, and of course, technical support," Sinclair said.

It has already been implemented in the Cayman Islands, and LNP will allow consumers to take advantage of LIME's $2.99 per minute Talk EZ rate, now the lowest mobile call rates in the country, LIME said.

Sinclair addressed questions from LIME's over 135,000 fans on its Facebook page during a live video chat for the first time yesterday.

While the company has continuously expressed that the matter is one for Minister of Mining, Energy & ICT Phillip Paulwell and the Office of Utilities Regulation to determine its position remains strongly in support of the innovation, the company said.

"We know more people are relying on us for industry perspective that will help them to make more informed and educated choices," Sinclair said.

"The fact that the company is on Facebook gives LIME a sense of where the company is headed and allows interaction with its customers," Sinclair said.