From PCWorld
Madana Prathap
Operators have been dragging their feet on the topic of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in India for as long as anybody can remember now. What is MNP exactly and why should you care? It matters if your mobile telecom network operator is not giving you the level of service you desire or the type of call plans you want. You might have a mobile phone number that you'd like to keep – because you have given that number to everyone and changing the number will be painful, might prevent some old acquaintances from contacting you, and/or affect your business.
In such a case, you'd like to retain your current mobile phone number, yet shift to a different telecom operator. That is not possible currently. When Mobile Number Portability or MNP becomes available in India, you can finally retain your number, yet change your operator.
Here are five facts (and possible issues) that you must know about Mobile Number Portability, some relate to the operator and government, others are concerns that you as a user should know.
1. Technology behind MNP
Admittedly, porting mobile numbers is not as simple as pushing a button. There is a lot that has to happen behind the scenes to allow for it. Expensive equipment, logistics on a mind-boggling scale, and ensuring checks-and-balances by appointing a third-party company to carry out these operations on behalf of both (originating and destination) operators.
Admittedly, porting mobile numbers is not as simple as pushing a button. There is a lot that has to happen behind the scenes to allow for it. Expensive equipment, logistics on a mind-boggling scale, and ensuring checks-and-balances by appointing a third-party company to carry out these operations on behalf of both (originating and destination) operators.
2. Operator Fear
The so-called "incumbent" mobile telephony operators have been in the space for a long time. The number of dis-satisfied users are inevitably in direct proportion. When new companies enter the mobile operator space, they have nothing to lose (atleast at first) with MNP. Those operators who have been around longer, fear losing existing customers, with good reason. Besides, prized phone number sequences (98484 84848 for example) can be lost to other operators, instead of returning to an operator's own pool of available numbers to hand-out.
The so-called "incumbent" mobile telephony operators have been in the space for a long time. The number of dis-satisfied users are inevitably in direct proportion. When new companies enter the mobile operator space, they have nothing to lose (atleast at first) with MNP. Those operators who have been around longer, fear losing existing customers, with good reason. Besides, prized phone number sequences (98484 84848 for example) can be lost to other operators, instead of returning to an operator's own pool of available numbers to hand-out.
3. Logistics, Verifying User Identity
Changing your telephone/mobile/internet provider has always been a "moving" experience. Ask LLU (Local Loop Unbundling) customers in UK and New Zealand about the horrors! Would you have to apply at your prospective mobile operator first, or request porting a number from your existing operator first? Would you have to submit your Proof of Identity documents thrice (old operator, new operator, portability agency)? Despite rules that say the process should complete in 4 days, how long will the porting process take? If there is an interim period when you are effectively a customer of both operators, do you have to pay monthly rental to both?
Changing your telephone/mobile/internet provider has always been a "moving" experience. Ask LLU (Local Loop Unbundling) customers in UK and New Zealand about the horrors! Would you have to apply at your prospective mobile operator first, or request porting a number from your existing operator first? Would you have to submit your Proof of Identity documents thrice (old operator, new operator, portability agency)? Despite rules that say the process should complete in 4 days, how long will the porting process take? If there is an interim period when you are effectively a customer of both operators, do you have to pay monthly rental to both?
4. Lock in Period, Inter-circle Issues
After porting your phone number, you are locked in to the new provider for 90 days (three months). If you want to change again, you have no option but to wait out that period. Currently, the Indian government only mentions number portability within a circle (meaning a state in most cases). So you cannot retain the same phone number if you move from Bombay to Delhi.
After porting your phone number, you are locked in to the new provider for 90 days (three months). If you want to change again, you have no option but to wait out that period. Currently, the Indian government only mentions number portability within a circle (meaning a state in most cases). So you cannot retain the same phone number if you move from Bombay to Delhi.
5. How To Identify A Phone Number?
With landline telephones, all you have to do is look at the STD code, the initial few digits and you can immediately identify a phone number's attributes (physical location and telecom operator). Until MNP comes into effect, you can still do something similar with mobile numbers too. But after implementation, identifying operator, approximate area and age of a number will become that much harder.
With landline telephones, all you have to do is look at the STD code, the initial few digits and you can immediately identify a phone number's attributes (physical location and telecom operator). Until MNP comes into effect, you can still do something similar with mobile numbers too. But after implementation, identifying operator, approximate area and age of a number will become that much harder.
