Now, Dial 95... For Mobile Numbers!

[Arun 795]

30 Jun 2009, 0205 hrs IST

Times of India News Network

The 95 dialling, which had been introduced for intra-state landline communication and then removed some four months ago, has returned, this time to mobile numbers. Some mobile phone companies, including Airtel and Idea Cellular, have started giving new mobile connections with the number.

In technical terms, the first digit of a telephone number is called a level. With the ever-increasing population of mobile users, the existing levels have not been able to accommodate the growing demand, and the Department of Telecommunication had decided to introduce the 95 series for mobile service providers. Along with this, the 94, 93 and 92 series were allotted to specific service providers, including BSNL mobile, Reliance CDMA and Tata Indicom. With the new changes, these series will soon be allotted to other service providers too.

Sources in Reliance Communications confirmed that the company has received an allotment of 95 series in some circles. The source refused to divulge more information about the allotment of 95 series.

When contacted, an Airtel spokesperson confirmed that the company had been allotted a series starting with 95. The first four digits of the Airtel numbers will be 9516. The company has introduced the 95 series in post-paid as well in pre-paid connections in its Maharashtra region.

Idea Cellular has also received an allotment of numbers starting with 9594, and customers have started using these new numbers in its Mumbai circle.

Speaking to TOI, Chandra Prakash, chief general manager, BSNL, Maharashtra circle said, "With the instruction from DoT, BSNL has stopped the 95 dialling service. We are not aware that the DoT has started allotting mobile numbers starting with the 95 series and BSNL has not yet received an allotment from the concerned department."

The Vodafone Essar official also confirmed that the company has received a 95 series allotment for its prepaid connections and it will available in the markets in a couple of days. The company has not yet finalised its plans about post-paid connections.

As per DoT norms, the other series will also be vacated for other service providers, which is a part of the number-portability scheme.

[pasumark 51]

Initially the users of 95 series mobile number will receive some wrong calls. But gradually the problem will be solved

[KumaarShah 143]

^^^

Only if it is a local within state number will one get wrong calls. Because for interstate numbers, '095' cannot have been used...

The better idea for DOT (or whoever is responsible) would have been to allot numbers which did not match the earlier 95 series numbers within the particular state For eg 9544 or 95413 or 95422 or 95425 or 95431 or 95452 etc series should not be allotted to TN or else it will lead to wrong calls as rightly said above.... The RGSM customers who have 95431 numbers will get wrong calls intended for the erstwhile Trichy LLs... 9551x is the Airtel new series, Similarly 95001 is Aircel new series - I do not know if these series are for any erstwhile TN LLs.

[kcvvenkit 1]

BSNL Has also Allotted 95 series number.

New level of number allocated to BSNL UPE Circle 9195320 to 324. Got the information on 20th June. Source is reliable.

Regards

Venkit

[Greatest 55]

good piece of information.. also, since until now, we were aware tht 93xxx was reliance, and same way 92 and 94 for tata and bsnl resp... will now have to got out of the minds... cause these nos could be given to other providers as well..

good going..!!

[savramesh 37]

Mobile numbers to begin with 8 now

Economic Times

30 Jun 2009, 1054 hrs IST

PUNE: The scorching pace of growth of India’s mobile phone use is clear from the fact that the department of telecommunications has exhausted cell phone numbers beginning with 9. Soon, mobile phone companies are expected to issue cell phone numbers beginning with 8.

Moreover, the 95 sub-level of telephone numbers, earlier reserved for trunk calls or STD dialling within a telecom circle, has now begun to be alloted to cellular operators. ET had first reported in March the DoT’s order, asking telecom companies to vacate the 95 level from landline use. The impact of this move is that 10 crore new numbers come into play, around half of which are expected to be alloted to companies. DoT will keep the balance as spare capacity.

The country’s cellular subscriber base has been growing substantially over the last couple of years, which led to the exhaustion of the existing sublevels of 9. According to TRAI, the telecom industry regulator, India had 415 million cellular subscribers at the end of May 2009, compared to 277 million a year ago. Expecting a similar growth over the next few years, DoT is considering an 11-digit numbering system from next year.

With the new numbering series being available, mobile companies are likely to auction some of the special numbers, particularly in newer rural markets although senior officials of mobile telephone companies ET spoke to denied such auctioning. However, several companies invite customers to bid for such numbers, either through their websites or through customer service outlets.

In the past, companies like BSNL, Idea, Tata Teleservices , Vodafone, Airtel etc have auctioned special numbers thus earning large sums of money, particularly from politicians and businessmen. In August 08 alone, state-owned BSNL earned Rs 1.15 crore from the auction of 2000 numbers. Hutch (now Vodafone) sold the most expensive number so far at Rs 15 lakh in 2007 to a Ludhianabased businessman. Tata Teleservices routinely auctions cellular numbers on its website, with prices ranging from Rs 10,000 to over Rs 1 lakh.

[savramesh 37]

BSNL, MTNL drop '95' group dialling across the country

Business Standard

July 4, 2009, 0:36 IST

State-owned telecom majors Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) have discontinued the group dialling facility across all telecom circles in the country.

The move spells disaster for the already struggling landline phone segment, which has been recording a negative subscriber growth quarter on quarter.

The discontinuation follows allocation of the group dialling code — ‘95’ — to private mobile service providers like Aircel Cellular, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications for their GSM operations.

Under group dialling, a BSNL subscriber could make calls up to 200 km from landlines by pre-fixing the code ‘95’ code to the number, which would be treated local calls and not as STD calls. MTNL, which has operations only in Mumbai and Delhi circles, had permitted users to make calls between these metros with the ‘95’ prefix at local call rates, not taking into consideration that these were inter-circle calls.

“The allocation of the ‘95’ code to private operators threw BSNL’s and MTNL’s group dialling services out of gear, as it resulted in a lot of confusion, over-lapping and wrong number dialling. Following this, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) sought discontinuation of these services by the public sector units,” a top telecom ministry official said.

When contacted, BSNL and MTNL officials confirmed the development, but added that the services have been moved to the ‘0’ code level. In addition, both the public sector units are maintaining the group dialling rates.

“For example, a user can call Delhi from a Mumbai landline number using the STD code ‘011’, for which local call rates will still be charged. BSNL would also be charging the same rate for calls up to 200 km, even though ‘0’ has to be pre-fixed before the numbers,” an MTNL official said.

However, analysts see this as a death knell for the landline segment and, like many foreign countries, India could emerge as a place with ‘mobile-only homes’.

According to Trai data, the ever-declining wireline subscriber base fell further to 37.66 million in May 2009 from 37.81 million in April 2009.

[r.world 0]

as per latest update

DOT has decide to allocate the empty levels in level 8 to mobile services, as exisiting levels are almost full

beginning is allocation of 8000 level to a operator very soon.

other vacant levels in level 8 to be alloted later.

so get ready

8000xxxxxxxxx the mobile call

while

802xxxxxxxxxxx banglore bsnl landline and similarly

803xx,804xxx, 806xxxxxxxx also landlines

[Greatest 55]

^ Source??

[FEVIN-RAJ 61]

According to my knoledge ... there is only one prefix will be added to existing numbers

prefix will be '8'

[me_saket 73]

According to my knoledge ... there is only one prefix will be added to existing numbers

prefix will be '8'

it is not prefix, new number scheme would be eg. 8000012345

it will same as current sceme, 9800012345.

[abkumar 11]

Saket, But as per my information as I have seen in newspapers

they are going to change mobile numbers to 11digit by prefixing 8 to all existing mobile numbers

for example

98xxx12345 will be changed to 898xxx12345

Edited July 10, 2009 by techlive

[me_saket 73]

Saket, But as per my information as I have seen in newspapers

they are going to change mobile numbers to 11digit by prefixing 8 to all existing mobile numbers

for example

98xxx12345 will be changed to 898xxx12345

the decision is not yet taken till now.