Finally, India will see introduction of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service — which allows a person to change his telecom operator while retaining his number — from November 25. “The launch of MNP services will start from Haryana licensed service area (telecom circle) on November 25, 2010,” the Department of Telecom (DOT) said in a statement on Sunday.
Pointing out that the introduction of MNP required upgrading the network and various other resources of service providers, the DoT said the networks were now technically ready for the launch of service. “To facilitate an orderly and reliable introduction of MNP services, a suitable migration plan has been evolved in consultation with mobile service providers,” it added.
Notably, Communications and Information Technology Minister A. Raja announced the new date of introduction of the MNP facility. So far, the DoT has missed three deadlines as neither the service providers nor the companies selected to deal with the service are ready with technical upgradation of the network and other telecom paraphernalia across various telecom circles.
But from November 25, mobile subscribers of the Haryana circle will have the option of changing their service provider without changing their mobile numbers. Gradually, the service would be made available in all 22 telecom circles in a phased manner for which the DoT will soon issue a detailed schedule.
A mammoth task
When contacted, Minister of State for Communications and Information and Technology Sachin Pilot said though there had been some delay in the launch of the service, it had been ensured that the service was provided to all subscribers sans any technical glitches. Keeping in mind the number of subscribers being added every month and rapid expansion of the telecom network, implementing the MNP was a mammoth task.
“The MNP will make the mobile sector more competitive as companies will be forced to upgrade and improve their services leading to more benefits for customers in terms of both quality of service and its cost-effectiveness,” Mr. Pilot said.
Due to the vast scale of the project, the DoT has divided 22 circles into two geographic zones. Each zone is further divided into 11 service areas that represent cities within the zone.
