The Department of Telecommunications on Wednesday yet again extended the deadline for implementation of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) that will allow a mobile subscriber to change operator without changing his mobile number. The new deadline has now been changed to October 31, 2010 from June 30, 2010.
Arrangements not ready
The DoT extended the deadline as operators and ILD service providers were not ready with necessary arrangements needed to make the technology work.
Earlier, MNP was to be implemented in phases — the first phase by December 31, 2009, in metro cities and category ‘A' service areas and in the rest of the country thereafter by March 31, 2010.
As operators were not ready, the DoT later decided to implement it throughout the country in one go — by March 31, 2010 — but extended it further to June 30, 2010.
