Dot Rings Mobile Number Portability

[xuketo 7]

Reliance will be happiest from this news... they can hold customers hostage for few more months.

[raccoon 53]

"MNP delayed further" - does that even qualify to be news anymore???

Anyway, look at it positively - it will help masochists to continue suffering (read enjoying) at the hands of their old service providers.

Why just Reliance? I'd think all the incumbents will be happy.

Edited October 1, 2010 by raccoon

[KumaarShah 143]

Wowieeeeeeeeeee

Great News

As if we did not know all along that this was a farcical exercise being carried out.....

Let us all enjoy without MNP and if at all it comes, mark my words, the conditions will be such that MNP will be a super duper flop

[Greatest 55]

here we go again...

[ACS 130]

Why doesn't the media ever take expose this 'MNP Scam'.

They're only interested in Raja since he is a politician & a bakra type guy..

You know why, revenue generated through telecom advertisements will stop.. if they train guns at telecom biggies !

Then no more split screen debates with big shots taking pot shots at anything & everything..

[ipkonfig 10]

According to http://www.livemint.com/2010/09/29214637/Number-portability-looks-elusi.html?atype=tp MNP will be delayed by just two weeks.

[Karthik R 246]

I think this time they will stick to the October 31st deadline but who can correctly predict govt. affairs.

[sougatadc 358]

Oh God, not again please!

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Just look at the hypocracy of the Indian Government. They just wanted anyhow to put one more spanner in MNP rollout which has been done since last one year. The reason given is that Telcordia has some software firm in Pakistan and this may have security concerns. What rubbish!!

All other international telecom vendors will have some or the other presence in Pakistan. Has anyone of them been banned? No. Would not a mobile operator in Pakistan be using Alcatel, Nokia, Siemens or Huwaie equipments in their networks? An IBM Software services or many other companies will be present in Pakistan in one form or another. A blackberry will also be present. None of this impacts security?

More than the outrageous nature of this argument, what provokes me more is that this will be accepted without any questioning by everyone including the so called important pillar of our Democracy, Media. (Except guys like us at RIMWEB and other internet media.)

When the Telecom Licenses were given by A. Raja, he kept a window of Just 2 hours for submission. Now in this case the notice to Telcordia was issued in August and Answerable by October perfectly in sync with the MNP rollout deadline. What a good co incidence that the license is revoked just now.

Edited October 2, 2010 by rajanmehta

[Handler 0]

More delays expected

http://www.livemint.com/2010/09/29223727/Number-portability-looks-elusi.html

[sujaisundar 0]

MNP..... Will it come to india?

are you people still waiting for it?

[kepal 1]

@sujaisundar yes very much dear & FYI when u posted such in MNP post that proves even you are waiting for it & what's wrong in waiting when people are using same number since last 7-8 years ,they will never change their number just like that so yes WE ALL ARE WAITING FOR MNP.

[raccoon 53]

What is wrong with waiting??? Everything is wrong with waiting. It is wrong even in principle. The incumbents know very well you are waiting, and they seem to have used it very well against you. Waiting has also prevented the sector to stave off real competition. And last but not the least, it has prevented you from reaping benefits in the current scenario.

In fact even you have been benefited by those who do not wait. Just imagine the scenario when everybody thinks like you and refuses to change operators - none of the newcomers would have survived till today and the incumbents would not have to reduce tariffs and offer better service even to the extent that they have done till date.

I stopped waiting long ago and am very happy that I did.

Edited October 12, 2010 by raccoon

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Source: Mail Today

Cell No. swap deadline to be missed again

Telecom operators with high stakes in the Indian market have been lobbying hard in the corridors of power to scuttle the roll- out of mobile number portability (MNP) and have managed to succeed yet again, dashing hopes of it becoming a reality from October 31, the government's latest deadline for its execution. Officials said that the MNP may be pushed forward by two to three months.

The chances of the MNP being rolled out from October 31 is remote given that there has been no official communication to Syniverse Technologies Inc on managing MNP across all the 23 circles in the country.

'Unhappy users keen on MNP'

Close to one in five (18 per cent) Indian mobile phone subscribers intend to switch their operator when MNP is introduced, says a study by Nielsen research on consumer attitude and behaviour toward mobile operators in India. The survey, which was conducted last year, included 12,500 mobile subscribers across 50 locations in India. One in four Reliance Communications (RCom) and Tata Indicom subscribers will be keen to change their operator when MNP is rolled out, followed by close to one in five (19 per cent) of BSNL subscribers.

While the Centre has selected Syniverse Technologies Inc and Telcordia Technologies Inc to manage number portability in the country, the latter is yet to get the security clearance from India's home ministry.

"We are working on MNP. We have not been approached by the government if we need to single handedly manage MNP. We do not anticipate that," Sanjay Kasturia, who heads Syniverse's India operations, told Mail Today. Syniverse has, meanwhile, begun testing the preparedness of the infrastructure set up for the MNP roll- out.

MNP will offer subscribers the option to retain their number while changing the telecom operator. When MNP is implemented, it will offer number portability only within a circle (meaning a state in most cases).

Operators, especially bigger ones who have been around longer, have for long been dragging their feet on rolling out MNP in India for fear of losing existing customers. They fear that dissatisfied mobile users may switch to other operators once the MNP is rolled out.

The roll- out of number portability in the country has been deferred thrice. It was initially supposed to be put into place by December 31, 2009, in metro cities across the country. The deadline was later deferred to March 31, 2010, and then to June 30, 2010. The government had set October 31 as the new deadline for MNP roll- out across all 23 telecom circles in India.

Telcordia Technologies got approval from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for the MNP project in March 2009 but the home ministry revoked the clearance in August, citing security concerns saying it has operations in Pakistan.

Telcordia explained that it was only a software vendor for Pakistan operations and had no other business interests there.

But the Centre is not convinced.

The department of telecom (DoT) has issued a show- cause notice to Telcordia asking why its licence for MNP should not be cancelled.

Telcordia has time till the third week of October to respond to DoT's queries.

A top official said that telecom lobbies have been creating trouble for the US- based Telcordia Technologies Inc by raking up the issue concerning its operations in Pakistan. This was aimed at delaying MNP implementation, the official said.

Also, the state- run operators, who were till now blamed for delaying MNP, have confirmed that they are ready for MNP. "We are ready for MNP but I cannot comment on the status of MNP implementation," BSNL chairman and managing director Gopal Das told Mail Today.

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Source: The Tribune

MNP unlikely this year

Girja Shankar Kaura/Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 14

Mobile number portability (MNP) is likely to be delayed by a few more months with no clarity on the company chosen for its roll out. The Tribune had earlier reported that MNP was set to miss its October 31 deadline with the home ministry objecting to the clearance given to the chosen company on security grounds.

Reports now suggest that the roll out of MNP may happen only in the next calendar year as not only MNP Interconnection, in which US-based Telcordia holds 74 percent, was still to get the FIPB clearance but a number of telecom operators have also expressed their inability to roll out the service by October 31. MNP Interconnection was one of the two number portability operators selected by the government to offer services in the country. The other was Syniverse Technologies Inc.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued show cause notice to Telcordia stating that why its licence for MNP should not be cancelled. Telcordia has time till the third week of October to respond to DoT, which may lead to a delay in troll out. 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. DoT also has the option of asking Syniverse to manage number portability.

[vvinayakpai 26]

Brilliant!!!!!!! This is the state of affairs in India.

[Greatest 55]

[sougatadc 358]

MNP unlikely this year

[raccoon 53]

Awesome news!      

Good for people who are STILL waiting, waiting waiting. Hone your waiting skills even more...  

[me_saket 73]

Thanks god,

I didn't waited till 31st oct. and buyed MTS.

[kesav 127]

Dear Rajanmehta,

Telcordia issue is quite old. I completely understand anxiety of every citizen on MNP. Please resist from posting the same news from different sources( I think there are 3 posts exactly saying the same thing but from different sources/websites) since I feel all these sources have been paid to do some sort of campaign against introduction of MNP by vested interests. Let us post only the official communication from Govt. sources/Telcordia/Syniverse next regarding Telcordia issue on this thread. Let we not fall prey and act as channel to paid media campaign.

[vikasmahajanz 33]

Now Our Indian Govt. also thinking for LPG Gas Cylinder Portability under which consumer will be able to exchange his/her LPG cylinder with any company any time he wants to refill it which is not possible as of now

[Karthik R 246]

that would do more good! Here we got a two week waiting period to get the new replacement cylinder Hope this one wont exist only in drafts!

[kesav 127]

Here is update from TRAI chairman on MNP.

TRAI chairman says and I quote "We are optimistic that it would be implemented within the time frame or a few days later."

When asked about mobile number portability (MNP) issue, which is due to be implemented from October 31, Sarma said,"We are optimistic that it would be implemented within the time frame or a few days later."

MNP is a service that allows a mobile user to change his operator while retaining the number.

The announcement comes as key mobile service providers like Bharti Airtel, Reliance, Vodafone Essar, Tata Tele, Idea, STel and Aircel are getting ready to launch high-speed 3G services.

Earlier, state-owned telcos Bharat Sanchar Nagar Nigam and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited said that they were ready with the infrastructure to implement the MNP service.

source :: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/2g-spectrum-proposal-by-month-end-trai-chairman/112669/on

A very good news indeed.....

[rajanmehta 4,056]

@kesav

I wish i could be happy but the problem is TRAI has little role or any actual power in implementing things once it decides or issues a guideline on policy matters. It is DOT which has terminated Telcordia License. It will be FIPB who will decide Telcordia appeal. And it will be Home Ministry which will poke its nose everywhere with the security issue.

So many initiatives by TRAI in the past have either not materialsed, or materialised partly or with huge delays. Case in point CAS for Cable networks. How many years ago TRAI mandated CAS for all over india? What is the present status?. Except for few metros nowhere. TRAI also mandated individual channel pricing for digital networks and not bunching together of packages along with fixing price at some Rs. 5 per channel. Do you get this option on any DTH operator? No.

So TRAI Chairmain's optimism carries little practical weight.