The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will soon crack the whip on operators for the implementation of mobile number portability (MNP), even as a DNA survey found that the systems put up by some operators are far from fully functional.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will soon crack the whip on operators for the implementation of mobile number portability (MNP), even as a DNA survey found that the systems put up by some operators are far from fully functional.
According to a nine-city survey, out of the major cellular operators of the country, only Vodafone could claim a 100% smooth operation of the first step.
The survey also found that only 44% of the customers of the country’s biggest operator, Bharti Airtel, could get their unique porting code (UPC) within an hour of requesting for it — the lowest proportion among all operators.
According to Trai guidelines, operators must generate and deliver the UPC (essential for leaving the operator) “forthwith” through an automated process when a subscriber requests for it through SMS.
Airtel customers, on the other hand, frequently got ‘feedback’ calls from the operator’s customer service agents — hours after they sent the UPC request — before getting the code itself.
Most Bharti Airtel customers had to wait for 2 to 22 hours before they got their UPC.
The process was relatively smoother for the other two major operators checked in the survey — Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications.
Reacting to the results, a senior Trai official said delays in delivering the UPC, as brought out by the survey, are “unacceptable” and the regulator will soon take steps to force operators to comply with the guidelines.
“The process is supposed to be automated, with no human intervention. The code is supposed to be delivered immediately, not after someone talks to the customer,” a senior official at Trai pointed out, requesting for anonymity.
When contacted, Trai chairman JS Sharma did not comment, but said a review of the process is definitely on the cards. “We have not got any major complaints about the regulations themselves,” he said, adding that any issues relating to the implementation and compliance aspects will be addressed soon.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}