Mobile Number Portability delayed again, to roll out on Nov 25th
By siliconindia   |   Tuesday, 02 November 2010, 15:30 IST   |    2 Comments
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New Delhi: The Department of Telecom (DoT) has announced to launch the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service on November 25 this year. The MNP service which allows a person to change his telecom operator while retaining his number will start from Haryana licensed service area, reports Sandeep Joshi of the Hindu. The DoT has assured that the networks are now ready for the successful implementation of the service. "To facilitate an orderly and reliable introduction of MNP services, a suitable migration plan has been evolved in consultation with mobile service providers," said the DoT. As of now, the DoT has missed three deadlines for the launch of the service as the service providers and the companies selected to deal with the service were not ready with the technical upgradation of the network. Now, from November 25, the MNP service will roll out and the mobile subscribers of the Haryana circle will be able to change their service provider, keeping the phone number unchanged. DoT will issue a detailed schedule of the service to be made available in all 22 telecom circles in a phased manner. The DoT has divided 22 circles into two geographic zones. Each zone is further divided into 11 service areas that represent cities within the zone. The implementation of the MNP service was quite a a task for the government. "Though there had been some delay in the launch of the service, it had been ensured that the service was provided to all subscribers sans any technical glitches," said Sachin Pilot, Minister of State for Communications and Information and Technology. "The MNP will make the mobile sector more competitive as companies will be forced to upgrade and improve their services leading to more benefits for customers in terms of both quality of service and its cost-effectiveness," added Pilot.

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