Mobile number portability from Oct 31
Mobile users can finally look forward to retaining their cell number even while changing the network as mobile number portability will be implemented (MNP) from October 31.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman J S Sarma on Thursday said there would be no further delay in the implementation of MNP. The MNP had missed a few deadlines earlier.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) had on Wednesday asked operators to ensure that all inter-operator tests for porting the numbers from one service provider to another are completed before September 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 would be barred from launching any new commercial services from September 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 licensees 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.
State-owned companies such as the Bharat Sanchar Nigam and the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited have said they are ready with the infrastructure to implement mobile number portability.
The earlier June 30 deadline for the implementation of the mobile number portability was deferred as operators were not ready with the infrastructure.
The MNP was to be implemented by December 31, 2009 in all the metro cities as well as in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The deadline was then changed to March 31, 2010 and thereafter to June 30, 2010. Asked about the rolling out of 3G services, Sarma said: “I see no reason to believe that there would be any delay.”
