Be MNP-compliant: DoT to telcos

The Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is a service that allows a mobile user to change his operator while retaining the number. As several deadlines were missed, the government had asked the operators to implement nation-wide MNP services from October this year.
“It has been decided by the competent authority that permission to launch commercial services in any service area with effect from September 1, 2010, shall be given only to those licencees (operators) who are MNP compliant,” an official order by the Department of Telecom (DoT) said.

Any licencee to whom permission for commercial launch of service has been granted has also to be MNP compliant along with existing service providers.

Most of the leading telecom players are preparing to launch 3G mobile services after September when they get spectrum for which auction was held recently.

Besides, several new telecom players are alos in the process to roll out their networks in various parts of the country.

The new stipulations of all operators to be MNP compliant may hit these players adversely as they are yet to put in place the infrastructure for the MNP services.