10-02-2012, 11:36 AM
MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY
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Introduction
Mobile Number Portability offers the subscriber the flexibility to retain his telephone number
even when he switches to another operator in a service area. Number portability is a feature
that allows a mobile subscriber to use the same number across different service providers. The
person/user has the liberty to opt for any service provider without the time-consuming exercise
of letting the rest of the world know about the change of number
Very often subscribers do not switch to another operator even if the competitor is offering
lower tariff and better services because they do not want to change their number.
In a consultation paper issued in July 2005, TRAI said that subscribers and operators would
benefit from the introduction of the number portability system. As per TRAI, "In most service areas
in India, subscribers have a choice of operators, however, the subscriber's inability to retain his
telephone number when changing operators is an obstacle to competition. Therefore, MNP will
benefit subscribers and increase the level of competition, rewarding operators with the best
customer service, coverage, and service quality.”
1.2 Types of Number portability
Number portability can be of different types.
1.2.1 Location-based: This enables a mobile subscriber to use the same number when
shifting from one geographical area to another.
1.2.2 Operator-based: This makes it possible for a mobile subscriber (or a fixed telephony
subscriber) to shift from one mobile (or a fixed) service provider to another in the same area and
retain his original number too.
1.2.3 Service-based: Enables subscribers of a company to use the same numbers across
different mobile technologies — Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Code
Division Multiple Access (CDMA) based Wireless in Local Loop (WLL).
1.2.4 Convergence-based: Allows usage of the same number while shifting from fixed to
mobile telephony.
1.2.5 Total number portability: Enables usage of the same number across different
technologies, geographical regions and national boundaries and is the ultimate aim of number
portability. It will also be the most difficult to implement and would require a collaborated effort
on the global scale among different service providers. It will be a combination of different types
of portability options.
Number portability when used to transfer numbers from one service provider to another is called
Mobile Number Portability. MNP is already being used in developed markets, which are mature
and have a much higher teledensity.
