Govt revises deadline for number portability
The implementation of mobile number portability (MNP) has been postponed to October 31 as the operators are not ready with the infrastructure to provide the service.“The government has taken the decision after reviewing the readiness of the various access, international long distance service providers and keeping in view the complexity and enormity of the testing involved before MNP is implemented,” said a telecom ministry statement Wednesday.
The MNP when launched will allow subscribers to retain their existing telephone numbers in the same service area even if they switch from one service provider to another irrespective of mobile technology.
The MNP was to be implemented by December 31, 2009 in all the metro cities as well as in the states of Maharastra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The deadline was then changed to March 31, 2010 and thereafter to June 30, 2010.
BS Reporter / New Delhi January 01, 2010, 0:18 IST
MNP (Mobile Number Portability) The government today said it would acquaint adaptable cardinal portability (MNP) beyond the country by March 31, a three-month adjournment from the appointed launch. MNP, which would acquiesce adaptable users to absorb their numbers alike afterwards alteration their operators, was appointed to alpha today in all the metros and class A circles, followed by blow of the circles by March 20.
After a alternation of affairs with the operators to appraise their address for implementing MNP, it was begin that while some accept technically upgraded and aggrandized their networks and some accept accustomed concrete links with MNP operators, others are still in the process. “The government has now absitively to apparatus MNP in accomplished of the country in one go, by 31st March 2010,” an official account said.
The anxious account providers are actuality accustomed a time anatomy by the Department of Telecommunications for assorted activities, the account added.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) Wednesday said the operators must ensure that all inter-operator tests for porting the numbers from one service provider to another are completed before Sept 1, 2010.
The Dot made it clear to all telecom operators that in case they fail to implement MNP as per the scheduled deadline, they will be barred from launching any new commercial services from Sept 1. “It has been decided that permission to launch commercial service in any area with effect from September 1, 2010 shall be given to only those licensee(s) who are MNP compliant,” said a DoT note. Mobile service providers – Bharti Airtel, Reliance, Vodafone Essar, Tata Tele, Idea, STel and Aircel – are getting ready to launch high-speed 3G services from next month.
Ministry gives an ultimatum to telecos on MNP
The communications ministry has given an ultimatum to telecom companies to implement mobile number portability by September, a step fraught with major implications on the financials of operators that won 3G airwaves.
If the diktat is enforced, customers will have access to number portability well before the launch of 3G services, due for the year-end or early next year. In the absence of a pan-India 3G operator, the ministry’s order means top-end users yearning for highspeed data services might ditch their telcos and shift to the services of a 3G operator.
The Mobile Number Portability (MNP) exits in all other countries. In India, it will be implemented by 31Oct2010.
