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Telecom operators oppose move to 11 digit numbers
New Delhi: All mobile firms, excluding Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices, have asked telecom regulator Trai to continue with the existing system of 10-digit mobile number format and have opposed the proposal to move towards a 11-digit mobile numbers, reports Economic Times.
Responding to Trai's consultation process on this issue, most mobile firms have suggested that digits between '2' and '9' be opened up for mobile telephony so that the current 10-digit format be retained as against the current policy where levels '9' and sublevels of '8' and '7' are only used for mobile numbers.
According to Economic Times, over 90 percent of the mobile numbers begin with '9' as this level has been completely opened up for mobile telephony. Off late, the Department of Telecom has also opened up sublevels in '8' and '7' for mobile telephony, which has resulted in cellular phone numbers beginning with this digit.
Most operators have taken the stance that currently many levels - 2 , 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 - were reserved for fixed line services and these levels are highly underutilized.
"For the past few years there has been a constant decline in the number of fixed line subscribers in India. In such a case, it is unfair to keep six billion numbers reserved for fixed line subscribers, whereas the actual number is even below 40 million. This is a clear wastage of the precious numbering resource," the Cellular Operators Association of India, the body representing all GSM operators said.