MTNL gearing up for MNP; bids invited for gateway

Gearing up to meet the May 15 deadline for launching the mobile portability services, state-run MTNL has invited bids for installing a gateway, crucial for the MNP infrastructure.

Mobile portability service allows subscribers to change the operator while retaining the number. The launch the service has been delayers twice as the operators are still setting up the network required for the service.

MTNL has floated the Rs 8-crore tender for supply, installation, testing for the number portability gateway.

An MTNL official said it hopes to reach the testing stage of the MNP network by mid-next month. MTNL plans to implement the number portability gateway (NPGW) to support MNP fits networks in Delhi & Mumbai.

A number of operators are currently in the process to set up such gateways to support their MNP network.

"Based on the successful completion of the action taken (tests)..., we will finally decide the dates for MNP implementation," the Department of Telecom had said.

MNP was to be implemented by December 31, 2009, in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai as well as in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The deadline was later changed to March 31 for launch across the country. In February, the DoT said it was planning to launch MNP by the first week of May, with initial launches in Bangalore and Chennai.

But now there are indications that MNP may be delayed even beyond the latest scheduled roll-out date of June 30.