JOIN USThe mobile number portability, which has been introduced in the country this week, is a measure for better empowerment of customers in the fastest growing consumer industry in the country. The new facility, which has been launched in Haryana, will soon be extended to other parts of the country and will help to improve the services provided by mobile operators. The industry watchdog, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), has been pushing for number portability for many years.
Many other countries have a regime of easy number portability. But the operators have been reluctant to accept and implement the idea for many reasons. It is true that the telecom companies have to invest much in technology for the benefit of a small number of customers who want to retain their numbers while shifting to a new operator. But the actual reason was the fear of losing customers through competition, though the system also offers the possibility of gaining them.
Mobile connections have increased exponentially in the country with 13 million connections being added every month. The country has about 700 million mobile phones, and though there may be some deliberate inflation in figures, the numbers represent a huge customer universe. But while the operators have been looking for growth of quantity, the quality of service has not kept pace with the numbers. There are frequent complaints about billing problems, poor voice quality, call drops and signal non-availability. Number portability gives a choice to the customer in the use of mobiles. Since customers want to retain the numbers they are identified with, the lack of portability gave the operators virtual monopolistic powers.
The new facility, which comes cheap, dents the monopolistic system. The competition that might ensue in the wake of portability should lead to better quality of service and perhaps more services and still lower tariffs. A major harassment that mobile phone customers have to undergo relates to telemarketing calls and unwanted SMS’s. There have been attempts to put an end to or regulate this unwanted intrusion but the results have not been satisfactory. A new proposal envisages giving an identifiable number sign to marketing calls. Effective steps need to be taken to curb unwelcome calls and promotional messages. This is as important as the power now available to customers to choose the operator.