E-numbering to stop mobile number's migration to 11-digit

By siliconindia   |   Thursday, 24 December 2009, 15:06 IST   |    5 Comments
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E-numbering to stop mobile number's migration to 11-digit
New Delhi: Following the path of mobile-rich countries like Malaysia and UK, India is also planning to adopt ENUM (electronic numbering) technology to avoid migration from 10-digit mobile number to an 11-digit mobile number. ENUM technology can be a catalyst for DoT (Department of Telecom) to meet the growing requirement of the mobile industry, reports Deccan Chronicle. Telephone number mapping is the process through which the telephone network (public-switched telephone network) is unified with the Internet address using the Internet protocol (IP). ENUM technology will be similar to the model available in Internet connectivity whereby each Internet connection has a unique IP address. A senior DoT official told Financial Chronicle that some countries where there is unprecedented growth in mobile (subscribers) are adopting new technology to meet the number crunch. "We are aware of ENUM or telephone number mapping, but have not taken up the project," added DoT Official. Currently, technology companies such as Telcordia Technologies and Neustar are offering the number mapping. Government had formulated national numbering plan 2003 to meet the growing mobile subscriber base in the country. The 10-digit numbering pattern was projected to meet the industry growth figures for the next 50 years. However, the 10-digit number series has already got exhausted in six years. S C Khanna, Secretary General of Association of Unified Service Providers of India (Auspi) said, "There are technologies that could be adopted to meet the growing demand but migration to 11 digit is an easier route. With more than eight to nine operators in a single circle and a couple of new operators likely to launch services, we need to meet the crunch."