Haryana first in line to dial portability

Haryana will experience India’s first mobile number portability (MNP) on November 25. MNP allows mobile subscribers to change their service providers without changing phone numbers. It has been delayed thrice in less than a year, with the deadline now being December 20 for pan-India rollout.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will begin MNP testing for the Haryana circle on November 8 and go live on November 25. For the rest of the circles, it will be implemented in phases.

Number portability was scheduled to be started in metros and category-A circles on December 31, 2009, and for the rest of the country it was slated for April 1, 2010. It was to be fully operational by October 31. But issues related to operators testing their networks and a Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to Telcordia being stuck due to security issues derailed the schedule.

DoT had given licences to Syniverse Technologies and MNP Interconnection Telecom Solutions, a 74:26 joint venture between US-based Telcordia and Deepak Talwar Consultants Pvt Ltd to implement MNP. In March 2009, the Ministry of Home Affairs revoked the FIPB approval to Telcordia, citing security concerns. DoT has now asked Syniverse to get ready to implement MNP across the country, as it may have to withdraw the licence to Telcordia.