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.
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.
Nine million subscribers opt for mobile number portability in first three months of its launch.
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.
Mobile telephone subscribers would have to wait a little longer to change their service provider without changing their numbers.
The reason for this is the high implementation costs which the regulator might not allow firms to transfer to subscribers.
it will allow users to retain their numbers even if they move from one state to another.
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 government on Thursday said it has extended the timeline for implementation of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) to October 31, 2010.
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.
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.
Telecom regulator TRAI on Friday fixed at Rs 19 the reference rate for portability to charged from users for changing operator while retaining the number.
"Within a week, DoT will invite bids for selecting an agency for implementing MNP. We will select the agency within next three months," Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura said on Thursday, on the sidelines of a function by Assocham. Earlier, the government had said that MNP can be started by the end of this year.
Mobile number portability is a dream come true for over 680 million cell phone users in India.
An IMRB study details how mobile number portability will impact service providers.
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.
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.
Currently, MNP is only available within a state/circle.
Today my mobile service provider made me feel very special. Reason? I initiated the first step to change my service provider by getting a Unique Portable ID.
Losing subscribers for the fourth straight month, Reliance Jio witnessed 3.76 million users leave the telecom operator in October, data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) showed on Monday. Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel reversed three months of decline, and added 1.92 million users, indicating it has overcome the impact of the broad-based tariff hikes imposed by private sector telcos in July.
Deliberations by the government is being carried out to keep cost and charges at a level so as not to discourage subscribers willing to change their service provider, an optional facility, and at the same time make the service providers a viable business model. The charge is directly linked to the number of subscribers, who would seek the change in service provider out of the total mobile user base of about 400 million.
Reliance Jio's major subscriber losses continued for the third straight month with 7.96 million users leaving the telecom operator in September, even as the state-owned BSNL stood out as the lone gainer, data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) showed on Thursday. Market leader Jio's subscriber loss has continued since July when the three private telecom operators - Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) - brought in a broad-based hike in tariffs.
The move will deprive millions of the freedom to choose service providers without changing their phone numbers.
There will be a seven-day waiting period after the SIM swap or replacement for a mobile number to become eligible for porting, telecom regulator Trai said on Friday. The step has been taken to curb fraud taking place by using mobile phone numbers. "The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), on 14th March 2024, issued the Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability (Ninth Amendment) Regulations, 2024, which will come into force on July 1, 2024," the regulator said.
The network cost per tower of Reliance Jio is lower than its rival Bharti Airtel even as the gap between them is narrowing due to the latter cutting costs at a faster pace, analysts said. While the energy cost per tower for both telcos is reducing, Airtel has managed to reduce costs at a faster pace, brokerage firm IIFL Securities said in a research note. "Jio used to enjoy 35 per cent lower network cost per tower, including the right of use (RoU) depreciation and lease finance cost, versus Bharti four years back. This gap has now (FY24) narrowed to 7 per cent," it said.
After continuously bleeding subscribers for nearly two years, state-owned telecom services provider BSNL added 2.9 million users in July when its private-sector rivals raised tariffs by nearly 20 per cent. With BSNL keeping tariffs unchanged, many subscribers using entry-level plans shifted from Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi), said analysts.
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.
Mobile subscribers from May 3 will be able to port their numbers anywhere in the country.
Vice president and CEO Sanjay Kasturia talks about the initial trends in mobile number portability, launched all across India on January 20, and other issues in an interview with Mansi Taneja.
The government on Wednesday imposed a condition on telcos that only those, who are ready with Mobile Number Portability, would be allowed to start new operations, a move that may restrict or delay launch of new services, including 3G.
Communications Minister A Raja's promise to let people switch their mobile service operators while retaining their telephone number has got delayed once again - the deadline for the implementation of mobile number portability has been postponed from October 31 to December 20.
Recently, the department of telecom said the country is likely to launch mobile number portability services -- which allows users to switch operators without changing their phone numbers -- by June 30.
Bharti Airtel on Wednesday said introduction of mobile number portability is unlikely to affect the company's margins as it expects a major churn out of subscribers in favour of GSM operators.
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications said on Tuesday the government's move to introduce mobile number portability would help GSM players Aircel, Idea and Spice as they enter new circles. The government had on Monday announced that the mobile number portability, under which users would be able to switch operators while retaining their existing cell phone numbers, would be allowed by next year.
Airtel tops with 3.7 million new subscribers, Jio adds 2.2 million; Vi lets go of 2.7 million.
Jio says it has completed mobile number portability testing and is certified MNP-compliant
Customers will have to pay a maximum of Rs 19 to an operator to change their network.
A disagreement between mobile operators and device manufacturers over e-SIMs has reached the government with the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) asking the DoT to order handset manufacturers to introduce eSIMs, in addition to the physical SIM slot, in all smartphones costing over Rs 10,000. The reason is the unprecedented global shortage of semiconductors which has severely impacted the supply of SIM cards across the globe and pushed up the price by four to five times. The shortage is not likely to improve before 2024.
Mobile Number Portability (MNP) has crossed a landmark figure of 100 million with 11 per cent of the total mobile subscribers exercising this facility till date.
Reliance Jio test launched its services last December, but dates for commercial launch has not been announced.
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