Mobile number portability roll-out to begin this week from Haryana
22 Nov 2010
The department of telecommunications (DoT) has finally announced the roll-out of mobile number portability (MNP) facility in the country, beginning with its launch in Rohtak district of Haryana on Thursday.
The roll-out of the much-delayed MNP will allow subscribers to switch from one mobile phone service provider to another without changing their mobile phone numbers.
The facility will be extended to other circles, in a phased manner, DoT had said in an earlier statement.
Mobile number portability was initially proposed to be implemented across all metros and in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu by 31 December 2009. The DoT later changed the deadline to 31 March 2010, and subsequently to 30 June 2010.
MNP roll-out had to be delayed further as the service providers were not ready with the necessary infrastructure for it.
Under the plan, customers intending to shift to a new service provider should send an SMS to 1900, from where they will get a unique porting code. They should then fill in an application form of the new service provider.
The service provider will 'port' the 10-digit number to the telecom company of the subscriber's choice when a request for the same is received.
