The Hindu : Business : 3G: foreign players can bid without domestic partner

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Friday, Sep 19, 2008
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3G: foreign players can bid without domestic partner

— PHOTO: R. V. MOORTHY

FLEXIBILITY: Asim Ghosh (left), Chairman, COAI, and Siddhartha Behura, Chairman, Telecom Commission, at a conclave in New Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura on Thursday said the much-awaited mobile number portability (MNP) facility would be implemented in the four metros by June 2009, while its pan-India roll out would be completed by the end of next year.

“MNP will be introduced in metros by June 2009 and it will take another six months to roll out MNP in rest of the country,” Mr. Behura said on the sidelines of a telecom summit organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham). The MNP service will allow phone users to change their telecom operator without changing their phone number. A significant technical aspect of MNP is related to the routing of calls or mobile messages — SMS and MMS — to a number once it has been ported.

Mr. Behura also clarified that foreign players did not require forming a joint venture with any domestic telecom firm prior to taking part in the bidding process for the 3G (third generation) spectrum. “The winning firm will have to comply with the FDI norms only before starting their operations in the country,” he added.

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