Contrary to recommendations in the draft of the New Telecom Policy prepared by it, the Department of Telecom is not in favour of number portability -- a system that will enable a subscriber to retain the same number even while changing the service provider.
With a tele-density of just 11 per cent, number portability is not advisable at this moment. Moreover, this has the possible impact of adding to the overall cost of the network of operators and fuel high call charges, official sources told PTI, saying no action is expected on this front.
"If it is so urgent, call forwarding facility should be considered as an alternative on mobile phones where the burden will be minimum on the consumers as well as on the operators," they said.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has fixed January 6 as the last date for receiving comments from operators, after GSM operators association Cellular Operator Association of India sought more time for submitting its views. The draft policy provides for implementation of number portability within 12 months of the policy's announcement.
Telecom companies expect their additional spend on infrastructure to go up by about 10 per cent if number portability is implemented.
"Offering number portability is good for the country. It will enhance competition and brings benefits like better quality. But while going about this exercise, the government should try to introduce portability in fixed line also," Reliance Infocomm officials said.
It has been estimated that mobile number portability will add to infrastructure costs significantly. "We believe that the costs of its introduction would be at least around a few thousand crores," COAI stated.
Tata Teleservices, however, welcomed the move saying, "MNP will certainly increase competition among operators and will motivate the service providers to increase the quality of service with the objective of retaining their existing subscribers and discouraging them from moving into other network."
According to the Tatas, there will be significant positive impact if services are flawless and efficient.
However, if there are issues/defects in service, there will be major dissatisfaction. Handset portability (GSM & CDMA) needs to be addressed and the regulator needs to ensure that operators do not create artificial barriers.
State-run Mahanagar Telephone Nigam too opposed the introduction of number portability, saying it need not be considered for introduction at present, while Bharat Sanchar Nigam is yet to firm up its views.
Number portability can be across services, across networks, across cities and even within a city.
There are two alternatives to number portability. One, a simple call forwarding service, which is considered a relatively crude method. The second is to install intelligent networks to identify and route calls.
But, there is lack of clarity over who will share the cost of installing the additional network. The consultation paper will seek answers to all questions.
