MNP likely to be delayed

The implementation of mobile number portability (MNP) is likely to be delayed by one to three months, with operators still not fully prepared to meet the deadline and with the government imposing new requirements with respect to security.

MNP will be introduced on December 31 in the metros and by March 2010 in the rest of the telecom circles.

The service will allow mobile subscribers to change their service providers while retaining their old number, by paying a maximum fee of just Rs 19 for each such shift.

The whole process will take four days.

“We are trying our best to meet the deadline. But it looks like, in addition to private operators, even the state-owned operators might take more time. So, there could be a delay of up to three months,” a top executive of a leading Indian mobile operator said.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has come up with some new conditions for all mobile service providers, including a query on whether a subscriber’s telecom connection can be marked for legal interception even before his number is activated on the new network.

This is likely to delay the process as operators are not ready for such a mechanism.

MNP is expected to help in increasing competition between service providers, besides acting as a catalyst for the providers to improve their quality of service.