Mobile portability getting pushed to next year

Mobile number portability (MNP), that will allow a wireless phone subscriber to retain his number while shifting to another service provider in the same circle (state), is all set to be pushed to the next calendar year, 2011.

In 2009, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had set January 1, 2010, as the date for introducing portability of mobile phone numbers.

The deadline for implementing MNP was shifted many times during this year, the last one being set for October 31, 2010.

Sources in the DoT, without being quoted, told this newspaper that number portability is unlikely to be rolled out in the current year.

One of the reasons for MNP getting delayed is that the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) is yet to clear the proposal of Telecordia, a US-based company, for operation in India. Telecordia was among the two agencies (besides Syniverse) chosen to implement and manage mobile number portability in the country.

Apart from the FIPB hurdle for Telecordia, number portability is also getting deferred once again because of the unpreparedness of the telecom companies, it is learnt.

This is despite the government directing telcos to do inter-operator tests. Recently, chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) J S Sarma had told reporters that he did not anticipate any further delay in implementing number portability in the country.

Although FIPB had earlier okayed the Telecordia proposal, the decision was reversed later as the Ministry of Home Affairs raised security concerns related to the US-based company.

The home ministry’s main objection was that Telecordia managed number portability in Pakistan too. Subsequently, Telecordia filed an appeal at the FIPB against cancellation of approval.

Government’s attempt to introduce an integrated numbering scheme may also delay MNP further, an industry source pointed out. Trai recently recommended that landline numbers would have 10 digits by December 2011. But, the regulator said that the existing 10-digit numbering scheme for mobile phones should be continued to avoid inconvenience to customers.

According to Trai, India should migrate to an integrated numbering scheme for fixed and mobile services by December 31, 2011.

“This would make available enough numbers to cater to the expansion of existing services and the introduction of new services for the next 30-40 years,” Trai had said.

Integrated numbering will also facilitate the extension of number portability to fixed lines, Trai had said.

Currently, the government is proposing to introduce number portability only for mobile phone subscribers. India has over 700 million phone connections, out of which over 670 million belong to mobile subscribers.