Seeks clarification on a few issues such as enhancement of entry fee and performance bank guarantee from telecom regulator
Sector regulator Trai on Tuesday directed telecom operators to "immediately" enable port out SMS facility for all mobile users requiring it, irrespective of value of their tariff offer, vouchers, or plans they have opted for. Trai's stern missive on smooth network portability, assumes significance as Reliance Jio had recently written to the regulator complaining that the new tariff structure of Vodafone Idea (VIL) allegedly restricts entry-level customers to port out their mobile number from its network. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has taken a strong note of telecom service companies not providing outgoing SMS facility in certain prepaid vouchers.
The government on Thursday said it has extended the timeline for implementation of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) to October 31, 2010.
The Telecom Commission, which is the highest decision making authority within the Department of Telecommunications, on Wednesday, accepted the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on full-fledged mobile number portability.
The group of home-grown handset manufacturers, who had tasted success with dual-SIM phones, had initially put up an opposition to the introduction of number portability, wary of losing out on business under the new regime.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has selected NYSE-listed Syniverse Technologies as one of the two companies to implement mobile number portability (MNP) services in the country.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is slated to flag off the nationwide roll-out of mobile number portability on Friday, a move that will allow users to switch operators without losing their phone numbers and will force telecom providers to improve the quality of their services.
Reliance Jio test launched its services last December, but dates for commercial launch has not been announced.
The reason for this is the high implementation costs which the regulator might not allow firms to transfer to subscribers.
MNP is a service that enables mobile telephone users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another.
The Department of Telecom and the Intelligence Bureau are working together on the final MNP guidelines to ensure seamless tracking of mobile numbers by security agencies.
Telcos say tariffs could be cut by up to 20 per cent. While post-paid customers constitute only 5 per cent of the total customer base of 670 million, they make up over 15 per cent of revenues thanks to their relatively higher average revenue per user (Arpu).
Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as angry protesters stormed the prime minister's office in Colombo, hours after president Gotabaya Rajapksa fled to the Maldives on a military jet, amid the country's worst economic crisis in decades.
Subscriber needs to pay Rs 19 for the service.
The PFI is alleged to have been continuously involved in anti-government propaganda and spreading the narrative that Muslims were being persecuted in India.
The 100-day delay in the scheduled execution of the MNP is attributed to operators' inability to upgrade their network as well as to the delay on the part of the regulator to come out with tariff for the service.
Even as the implementation of MNP is likely to be delayed from the scheduled date of September 20, the PSU, which hopes to attract substantial number of users from the rivals like Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications, has called for expression of interest for MNP gateway.
Ahead of the 3G spectrum allocation process, the government would invite request for proposals for rolling out mobile number portability. Government had recently announced the guidelines for 3G spectrum and MNP, and had allowed foreign players to take part in the next generation telecom space.
While the government is planning to introduce mobile number portability (MNP) in metros in the near future, preliminary developments suggest the subscribers and service providers will share the Rs 200 cost of every such portability operation.
Will be valid only for the first two months of a customer's joining
Operators play a wait-and-watch game, as users take well-informed decisions while moving between networks.
Dr Mahendra N Parikh changed the field of medicine in India, opening its scope to include thousands of women by bringing their health issues at the forefront.
it will allow users to retain their numbers even if they move from one state to another.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) expects to finalise the norms for mergers and acquisitions and spectrum sharing by the end of June. It also plans to approve the National Telecom Policy (NTP), 2012, by the end of July.
Nine million subscribers opt for mobile number portability in first three months of its launch.
The all India launch date is still not fixed due to differences between the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the GSM mobile industry.
'As an actor he was surrounded in stardom, but as a politician he is humble'
The government will miss the June 30 deadline to implement nationwide mobile number portability, as telecom public sectors MTNL and BSNL, and a new operator Uninor, are not ready with equipment.
Telecom service provider Reliance Communications is close to awarding a contract for implementation of mobile number portability (MNP) integration across its network to eight global telecom companies. The deal is estimated to be worth Rs 700-800 crore. The eight are Tekelec, HP, Intec, Huawei, ZTE, Ericsson, Lucent and Radio Telecom.
Further, pan-India readiness is required for the proper implementation of call routing, according to the service providers who had met DoT officials recently. The operators also mentioned that due to delay in completion of various activities, it would be difficult to meet the timelines for MNP implementation.
Mobile telephone subscribers would have to wait a little longer to change their service provider without changing their numbers.
High-value post-paid subscribers are more likely to use number portability in India where the market is dominated by pre-paid subscribers who look for the cheapest service.
Earlier this month, the department of telecommunication had said that MNP that will allow users to switch providers without changing their phone number was likely to be launched by June 30, 2010.
The mobile number portability will be delayed by at least three months from its scheduled implementation date as the telecom regulator is still busy preparing regulations for the new system.
MNP is expected to help in increasing competition between service providers, besides acting as a catalyst for the providers to improve their quality of service.
Mobile Number Portability will be implemented from December 31 in metros and category 'A' service areas, and by March 20, 2010, in rest of the country, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said on Wednesday.
Mobile number portability service allows subscribers switch to another service provider or from one technology to another while retaining their mobile number.
Kickstarting the process to introduce mobile number portability, telecom regulator Trai will soon set up a steering committee of operators, industry associations and telecom engineering centres.
BSNL is taking various initiatives to improve its services and add more customers.
In November last year, Communications Minister A Raja had announced the implementation of MNP, which permits users to change the operator without giving up their existing mobile number, by the fourth quarter of 2008. "The department of telecommunications has to form a consortium of operators, which, in turn, has to set up a central database of operators and their subscribers. "This is a long-drawn process," an official in the government pointed out.
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