When asked about MNP, one of our commenter once said “I’ll believe it when I see it” and I guess he was right. Once destined to start from September 20, the government has now pushed the Phase I MNP date back to December. Reason? Well, the telecom department wants to give some more time that will allow to upgrade existing networks to be compatible with MNP. Also, they haven’t been able to resolve technical and commercial issues.
MNP
Gearing up to take advantage from MNP? This is what you need to know
A quick rehash to the MNP (Mobile Number Portability) scene. MNP is a service which will allow users to change their service providers without the need to change their numbers. Now, after a series of delays, it is set to arrive on September 20, 2009 in most of the cities and few states while others will have to wait till March 20, 2010.
Yesterday, TRAI revealed the draft norms that will bind the MNP service as well as users gaining from it. This is what you need to know if you’ll be going for it as soon as its available in September.
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TRAI seeking tariff rates for MNP
Economic Times is reporting that TRAI will be seeking views from stakeholders and experts on the possible tariffs for the MNP service.
We will issue a consultation paper next week on the port and dipping charges of mobile number portability (MNP) service … We will have to see the service is affordable to customers.
Now that they “really” want the service to be affordable to us, we thought of asking the customers directly. So we want to know how much are you willing to pay for such a service. Select your option in the poll below. We really want to know what you think.
PS: If you’re wondering what MNP is all about, read over here.
MNP arriving on September 20
Time for some celebration?! The MNP that was destined to be live last year will finally make its impending release in September. DoT has served a notification which will bring the service into motion on September 20 in Delhi, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Kolkata, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Rest of the country will get it by March 20, 2010.
One thing which we dreaded since the service announcement was the transaction fee but it seems DoT has come to our rescue. They have given TRAI the authority to fix the price and if the source proves to be correct, it won’t be more than Rs. 300. It looks to be a win-win situation for both, the government and customers too.
Now with the final notice is through, I hope cellular operators pull up their socks and finally reckon ‘Customer is the king’.
PS: We’re back! 😉
US firms to run MNP in India
There is further news on the Mobile Number Portability service which is anticipated to arrive by September this year. Indian telecom ministry has selected two US based firms, Syniverse Technologies and Telcordia Technologies to run this technology in India.
Telcordia Technologies has joint-ventured with the Indian telecom ministry to form MNP Interconnection Telecom Solutions India Pvt. Ltd. which will administer the MNP services in southern and eastern circles whereas; Syniverse will operate individually, covering the northern and western circles. Syniverse said in a press release that it already has been awarded a letter of intent by the Indian government to conduct these services.
Now MNP to come in September
Look we weren’t really surprised to read this but now the MNP that we expected to arrive in August will come in September. The government will reveal the successful bidders on March 5 by awarding them a letter of intent. The implementation plans are still the same – Major cities will get MNP within six months while the rest of the areas within a year.
A Raja: MNP to come by August
CIT minister A Raja has confirmed that the mobile number portability (MNP) that was slated to come in December last year, will finally be launched in August. The first phase will cover major cities while the second phase, will take over the remaining cities by the end of the year.
It’s better late than never but somehow I have a feeling that it’s going to be delayed further. What do you think? Will you change your service operator if MNP comes into effect? And if yes, what price are you willing to pay? The previous we heard was Rs. 300.
Mobile Number Portability – On its way
Yes, if reports are to be believed, MNP will make it to the market by mid-09. It is learnt that DoT has already started the process by allowing operators to bid for the same. Here are some dates that have been earmarked:
- Feb 6th – last day for submission of bids
- Feb 16th – List of qualified companies to be shared
- March 5th – results declared
- Mid 2009 – launch, only if the above two deadlines are met
What was decided or heard about till now was that a user would have to pay a charge to change his/her operator, which could sum upto Rs.300 or more. However, the telecom regulators have taken the responsibility of fixing this charge and making it a standard in the sector, thus disallowing any kind of malpractice.
Study suggest users are happy with their service providers
Mobile number portability (MNP) when implemented will prove a boon to users who want to change the service provider without losing their number. However, a study conducted by a research firm Strategy Analytics has something different to say which vaguely forecasts MNP a complete dud in India.
Their survey results claim that almost 90 percent of subscribers prefer to stay with their current provider and are content with their services.
In the last 12 months 81 per cent of the users have not changed their operators and 89 per cent of the users are not going to switch between operators in the next 12 months.
We Say: This is a positive statistic as far as service providers are concerned. But we doubt the percentage to remain constant at this level after MNP is introduced. Maybe the subscribers are actually waiting for MNP to come into effect before taking the plunge. Or the operators are tightening their belts to offer good service so that their subscriber base doesn’t deflate. Nonetheless, it is we, the consumers are benefitting from this. Aren’t we?
Mobile Number Portability to start in 2 months
There is some good news for all you people waiting for MNP to come in. Telecom Ministry, a couple of days back announced the confirmation of MNP in the next two months.
MNP i.e. Mobile number portability is a service that will allow cell phone users to switch their telecom service provider without changing their mobile number. Initially, this service will be launched in the four metros followed by rest of the country over the next 6-12 months.
As per the guidelines provided by the government, the whole country will be divided into two MNP zones consisting of 11 circles with two metros in each zone.
All this is fine but the big question which lies ahead is, how much will our service providers charge for MNP? At present, we don’t have any idea about the pricing structure for MNP but it is definitely expected to be on the higher end.