Mobile operators, including Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Vodafone, Reliance Communications (RCom), BSNL and MTNL, will roll out full mobile number portability (MNP) that will allow customers to retain their numbers across the country from Friday.
Other private players like Uninor, Sistema Shyam Teleservices and Videocon are also expected to roll out the service to meet the July 3 deadline fixed by the government.
So far, MNP facility is limited to circles, which means subscribers can retain their number while switching operators within a circle. However, MNP at national level, which would happen now, comes as a huge convenience for consumers.
“Idea Cellular has enabled its network to roll out the DoT-mandated national MNP services for users across the country. This will enable people shifting location, across circles, to retain their number either with the same operator or even switch network, without having to change the number,” Idea Cellular said in a release.
“With our complete readiness to launch national mobile number portability (MNP), we aim to empower customers enabling them to retain this identity as they move across anywhere in the country. To facilitate a seamless transition, we will allow our customers to enjoy free incoming on roaming while their number portability request is being processed,” said Bharti Airtel’s director, market operations, Ajai Puri.
The national MNP service will facilitate customers to carry their existing mobile number from one telecom circle to another across the country and choose the operator of their choice without changing their numbers.
A Vodafone statement said that customers looking to retain their numbers at the new location can avail the benefits of national MNP service. “Vodafone has benefited from the intra-circle MNP that was rolled out in 2011 and we look forward to a similar response,” said Vodafone India’s chief commercial officer Vivek Mathur.
Reliance Communications said it is ready to roll out MNP nationally from July 3. “Reliance Communications will also offer attractive and aggressive plans for both its prepaid and post-paid customers, as well as customers porting in from other networks to ensure this is a seamless and easy transition,” a company spokesperson said.