MNP,Mobile Number Portability proves Consumer is King

Across India, 17.11 lakh users opted for MNP up to now...

Mobile Number Portability -MNP has give the consumer better option and allowing users the option to switch to another mobile service provider even while retaining their familiar mobile-phone numbers. In Andhra Pradesh, 72,000 subscribers have opted for MNP; across India, 17.11 lakh users up to now. Application for portability must be followed by verification by the new service provider, which is accepting the ‘port-in’. The subscriber then is bound to stay with the new operator or ‘donor’ for at least three months.

People in a Closed User Group - CUG who wish to port-out will have to move out of the service and opt for a new operator. CUG beneficiaries can move as individuals, not as a group. Once the port-in is done, the new subscriber would have to stay with the donor for at least three months. The UPC is generated by the donor operator following an SMS on 1900. The first two characters of the UPC is made up of alphabets denoting the service provider code and service area code and then six digits are numerical characters. The numeric zero is not allowed. Some companies have rejected MNP requests by subscribers after finding some faults in their Unique Porting Codes. Sources in the industry informed that only 5.8 per cent of the subscriber base in India has opted for the MNP.