Number Portability Implementation in India

[niket 0]

Trai Consultation Paper On Number Portability In April.

Source: The Financial Express, March 05, 2004

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will be coming out with a consultation paper on number portability in about a month?s time. It would also release the final consultation paper on full unified licensing within a week, Trai advisor Rajendra Singh said this while addressing the 6th Telecom Summit of Confederation of Indian Industry.

Additionally, telecom experts from ABN Amro Bank, Ernst & Young, HSBC and ICICI called for lifting of the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in order to finance the telecom growth in the country. India will need incremental investments of $10-15 billion over the next five years to achieve the projected teledensity of 20 per cent, said Ernst & Young India?s partner Sanjay Mehta.

On the revenue front, telecom revenues will witness an upward trend. The total telecom sector revenues will almost triple to $23-25 billion by 2007 from $9 billion in 2002, according to Ernst & Young. Mobile revenues are likely to grow to around $10.32 billion by 2008 at a 45 per cent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR), despite a 13 per cent annual decline in average revenue per user, said ABN Amro?s executive director (telecoms and media) Vijay Chopra.

Meanwhile, Tata Industries managing director KA Chaukar told the media that the company?s telecom investment plans of $2 billion over the next two years will be used towards expansion and roll-out in new circles. He said that the amount would be used for expansion in the existing six telecom circles of Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, as well as for roll-out in the 11 new circles.

?There will be expansion in six circles in the next one month or so and launch in 11 new circles in 3-4 months after that,? he said. However, he declined to comment on recent reports of equity rejig in Tata Teleservices.

Edited March 6, 2004 by Ashokjp

[Chirag 5]

I read the headline, and thought there will some decent talk on number portability... lol.. but theres nothing in it except the first line!

Anyways, if number portability is approved in india, it'll be one more big thing for all of us... But it will also be one more big confusion that would arrive in india too soon.... I somehow feel that the telecom industry is just racing without breathing... and TRAI is the biggest contributor to this confusion.

[niket 0]

Here another !decent talk..

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Trai seeks views on number portability

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ FRIDAY, MARCH 05, 2004 03:52:20 AM ]

NEW DELHI : Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is seeking industry opinion on setting up guidelines for normal portability, a service that allows users to keep phone numbers when they change operators.

"We will issue a consultation paper within a month," Rajendra Singh, head of mobile networks division in Trai said. "The deciding factor is cost to operator."

Singh said Trai had studied implementation of number portability in several markets abroad and concluded that additional costs to make networks compatible were large.

About 20 countries have number portability facilities and most markets have seen already brutal competition intensifying further after introduction of such facilities.

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In US there number protability is from many years.

Many user not change provider because of number change issue. and after number portability there another round of competition. This competition is mostly in between GSM players.

[sunil_jok 2]

well i hadnt understood exactly what it meant when i read it the first time....

but if such a thing happens then it would benifit the consumers a lot....

while i was working at airtel... many ppl told me they didnt want to take a connection because they didnt want to change their nos... even with many facilities some ppl who depend on their mobile for new business like taxi operators and such, who give out their no to anyone who might call later, would suffer a heavy loss if they lose their no... the losers would be small scale players... so you can trust them to fight tooth and nail to vote this facility out.....

and i dont think big gsm cos would welcome this either... coz when compared to their roaming rates reliance rate is really low... so they would expect a large flow of customers to reliance....

so it looks like there wont be many supporters......

and reliance............... they would support it whatever the cost.... first of all they get a lot of customers... but they wont lose much either

coz its a new co. and those who have come to it wont have taken it if they had an earlier connection.... and the other... well they r trapped for 3 years.... unless they want to pay penelty

it seems reliance is likely to be the biggest winner. followed by bsnl, but they dont have the capacity to support such a big shift of customer base.

[Greens 21]

The Economic Times Online

Are we ready for number portability?

[ SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2004 12:10:53 AM ]

It could be the next big thing for cellular service providers and for subscribers. Number portability or retaining a cell number, even when dumping inefficient service providers, will give Indian mobile users the real freedom of choice that they are looking for. But regulator Trai does not yet have the policy framework in place even though DoT 's technical wing TEC, wants NP to come to India by 2004-end.

In fact, IIM, Ahmedabad has submitted a paper with recommendations on the issue to Trai which shows that it could offer unbridled freedom to subscribers to retain single telephone numbers throughout their lifetime facilitating seamless migration from one service to another and from one technical platform to another

Says Trai chief Pradip Baijal: “We have enough and more competition in the marketplace already. And even in the US, number portability was introduced after 30-35 years when the industry had stabilised. Then again, we have to see whether number portability should be allowed only among mobile phones or within mobile and fixed line phones or within a circle.”

The regulator also feels that permitting number portability between circles could have an impact on long distance calls too.

“Our networks are not so developed that we can afford number portability. We are studying it, but it is not top priority,” Baijal adds. Trai is in the process of preparing a consultation paper on this issue which could be presented for discussions within the next couple of months.

Analysts are not too sure that number portability is what industry needs right now. “I'm not sure if it will help the service providers too much. We've seen more price wars and the overall industry losing value with number portability. I'm sure it means that customers will find it much more convenient to switch between suppliers. But then we're likely to see massive churn in the industry with administration costs going up without any increase in real value. I'd expect this could lead to more market consolidation,” says Abraham.

Ramachandran agrees: “The industry is already hyper competitive and the churn levels are more than 50-60% even without number portability. In fact, the 4-5% per month rate of customers changing service providers is quite alarming even by global standards.”

In fact, even service providers themselves are divided on the issues of NP. “If it does not include the incumbent operator, then it would be a meaningless execs. In the GSM world the large number of prepaid customers coupled with high churn rates is testimony to the fact that the desire to keep the original number is not so high as of now. However, if implemented, over the period of time, operators with good quality of services are likely to gain,” feels Mehmi.

Of course, even in industry, NP has its supporters. “It is the logical extension of deregulation and liberalisation in the space and could take competition to a whole new level. It could also become the ultimate tool for consumer protection and is known to have benefited early adopters like Sweden, The Netherlands, Denmark, Australia and Hong Kong with huge cost benefits,” says an E&Y official.

“As the largest mobile operator in the country, we would welcome number portability. It would be a great help to large customers who could then chose the more efficient service provider,” feels Bharti’s Gupta.

As far as the customer is concerned, number portability will ensure that they are the king in the mobile world.

[Chirag 5]

After reading it over again and looking at it from different angles, i am of the opinion that its actually too early to introduce Number Portability...

Its important to stabilise the industry first and later go for such things!

[@ksh@T 20]

Guys TRAI has finally released the suggestions By various operators on MNP(number Portability)...Post this regime....What will be ur Stand?and Why?

Do give ur valuable Suggestions and Answers!

Bharti(Airtel)

Tata Teleservices

MTNL

Reliance InfocoMm

[@ksh@T 20]

I Will stick Onto Reliance India Mobile and My plan will be 299ZR

[ashoksoft 83]

Me too .... Reliance is for me !

cheers

Ashok

[anujit 0]

And ever service provider said:

We think its a great idea BUT:

1. Its too expensive

2. The technology isn't there

3. Lets do it with the landlines first (this is my personnal favourite)

4. The timing isn't right

5. It will cost the people more money

6. It will cost the Govt. more money

Looks like they all watched Yes Minister before submitting their replies.

I still say things like MNP and OneIndia crap isn't going to happen tomorrow. So don't hold your breathe people.

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Mobile number portability (MNP) was first instituted in the US on November 24, 2003 – a date wireless carriers feared most. US mobile operators braced themselves for what they expected to be one of the largest challenges within their industry. Eighteen months after its introduction, number portability has been more of a lumbering elephant and less of a roaring lion.

At the onset, the FCC, wireless operators, and many industry analysts expected 30m subscribers to transfer their wireless number within the first 12 months of MNP’s introduction. Only 7.8m actually did. The top five national carriers have all added customers during this time, with AT&T/Cingular growing by about 5% on the low end, and T-Mobile growing by more than 33% on the high end. Overall, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile have been the biggest winners as they have focused on improving network quality and customer service

http://www.pyramidresearch.com/pa_may26_mnp.htm

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[Ashokjp 15]

Airtel & reliance

Airtel for services and reliance for calls

[Utsav 0]

What is MNP?

[Chirag 5]

I dont see Number portability coming in India so soon... Its jus making some hue n cry, here n there... the baby has to mature alot more, to see all that!

[deepu 0]

I think number portability may come only after the whole of India becomes single circle

[cracker 0]

and if they will provide

cheap and fast internet service(not wap) in mobile and 4 computer

[abhay 0]

according to the poll the only contender to reliance seems to be airtel BEWARE mr ambani AIRTEL is really really catching up

well i would stick to reliance whateva be the plan! no matter what !

[raccoon 53]

Wow!!! I can only envy those who possess such loyalty!

I for one, would switch without a 2nd thought to the best operator/plan that is offered to me...

[@ksh@T 20]

Retain numbers, ask pvt fixed line cos

NEW DELHI: Private fixed line telecom operators have asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to implement number portability in the segment. Under number portability, a subscriber can retain his/her number even while switching to a new service provider. Trai is currently working on bringing number portability in mobile telephone services.

“The reason why portability is needed in fixed services is that there is hardly any competition in the fixed line segment since incumbents account for nearly 80% of the market share,” said the Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUTSPI) in a letter to the Trai.

“The effort should be to introduce mobile number portability only after it is introduced in the fixed line segment. This is the practice globally. Or the otherwise introduce portability simultaneously for both mobile and fixed line sectors,” said AUTSPI.

AUTSPI has also said that the number portability will require additional investments by all the operators to augment networks, create data bases, implement and sustain new routing and switching arrangements. As the Indian telecom market is expanding fast, it may not be a good idea to make huge investments in such activities.

“Today, when the resources and efforts of the telecom industry are directed towards increasing telecom penetration, the need of the hour should be to make telecom services more affordable rather than increasing costs,” said AUTSPI.

It has also expressed apprehensions that the change in number portability may require changes in the fundamental plans in routing, transmission, and number plans. This may even require changes in the licensing regime.

TEC, a body under DoT that does technological validation and specifies standards, had earlier opposed number portability. In a note to the telecom commission, TEC said the time is not ripe for number portability as it would increase the cost of a call.

There are two methods of implementing number portability. One, is call forwarding, a relatively crude method. Another is implementing it through intelligent networks where software plays a major role in identifying and routing calls. Now, the important issue is who will share the cost of additional network. The regulator will make his decision after getting the response from all the stake holders.

Source: The Economic Times

[@ksh@T 20]

Reliance says no to number portability

NEW DELHI: Reliance has spoken out against the introduction of mobile number portability (MNP), which allows cellular subscribers to change their service provider but retain the same number.

In response to the consultation paper on MNP, floated by telecom regulator Trai in July, Reliance has said that investments and network interconnect arrangements, required for putting in place such a system, would far outweigh the benefits of MNP.

Reliance, which operates CDMA-based services across the country, has argued that there is enough competition in the Indian cellular telephony market, and customers can easily change operators.

There are about 4-7 operators in various telecom circles the country is divided into, whereas in other parts of the world there are not more than 3-5 operators. Besides, the Arpu (average revenue per user) is less than Rs 390 ($10), lowest in the world.

"The fundamental reasons -- both technical and economic -- for introducing mobile number portability do not exist in our country yet," Reliance said in its response.

It has, however, said that in the landline sector the competition was very limited, with BSNL having 37.25 million (78%) subscribers, out of a total base of 47.8 million. "So, if Trai and government feel it necessary to introduce number portability, it/they should start with fixed number portability."

[jayant 0]

Well i voted for AIRTEL. Simply because i always found airtel better than reliance because of many reasons including that i always have a feel that GSM is better than CDMA (atleast in the given circumstances n services). But i dont think that we need a debate here about the better one. And its not surprising to see most of the votes go in the favour of reliance ...it is supposed to happen when u have so many reliance users around on a forum intended for rimusers

[SexyGurl 0]

compare R-world to whatever counter-part airtel has it's place (gprs etc.)

leave alone airtel, even hutch (though TV curtain ads !!) is no match in data and multimedia services to the capabilities of CDMA.

Tata is also CDMA, but it's too new and small to build up to R-world's content.

[@ksh@T 20]

TRAI-ng No. Portability

All Private Mobile Operators Oppose Move On Cost, Technology Grounds & Demand Mobility In Fixed Lines Phones First, Says Manoj Goirala

  TRAI has finally initiated the process of introducing number portability in mobile telephony. It has floated a consultation paper seeking views of all the concerned parties on this issue. Under number portability, a subscriber can retain his/her number even while switching to a new service provider. Interestingly, all the private operators are opposed to it.

  Both GSM and CDMA operators have said that number portability should be introduced in the fixed line telephony, where the government-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) account about 89% of the total market. The regulator feels that at present there is not much of competition in fixed services. Therefore, there is no need of implementing number portability in the fixedline services. The private telecom operators know that implementing number portability in fixed line services would be a time consuming process.

  Number portability can be across services, across networks, across cities and within a city. Big telecom operators hate it, new entrants love it, but the consumer would be the

biggest gainer from introduction of number portability in India. Large operators like, who have accumulated a large subscriber have apprehensions that it may lead to migration of its subscribers. Ironically, the very same operator who championed number portability when its subscriber base was small now dismisses the idea. It has been adopted only in a few developed countries and this has come in handy to deflect arguments for instituting portability in India as well.

  In their response to TRAI, the telecom operators have opposed number portability saying that it will entail additional investments by all operators

to augment networks, creat data bases, implement and sustain new routing and switching arrangements.

  They have said that the number portability will require changes in the fundamental plan (routing, transmission and numbering plans) and possibly even the licensing regime.

  The cost structure of the Indian telecom sector is amongst the highest in the world, while it offers one of the lowest mobile tariffs. Mobile number portability is likely to increase the costs of both porting subscribers and those no porting because there will be an overall infrastructure cost involved,& said association of unified telecom service providers of India (AUTSPI).

Today, when the resources and efforts of the telecom industry are directed towards increasing telecom penetration and reaching into remote and rural regions of the country, the need of the hour should be to make telecom services more affordable rather than increasing the costs, said S C Khanna, secretary general of AUTSPI.

Given the efforts of the telecom industry to reduce cost structure, we believe that introduction of number portability at this stage would be an undesirable step as it would entail substantial investments in setting up the systems and database for number portability, said T V Ramachandran, director general, COAI. However, those who support number portability say that even if the cost increases by about 5%, and hence the tariffs, it will be good for the consumers if they have choice of changing networks.

Large operators like, who have accumulated a large subscriber have apprehensions that it may lead to migration of its subscribers. Ironically, the very same operator who championed number portability when its subscriber base was small now dismisses the idea

Boss is this operator reliance infocomm.,......

[Harshad 1]

my vote goes to HUTCH* !

( Includes BPL Mobile Mumbai & Orange )

Reliance is pretty good, but I wouldn't want to be bogged down by a service provider and most importantly the same handset ( alrite, i knw u ppl will say that change in handset is possible, still ! ).

Airtel, reports say is the number one provider, however has all its existing numbers coming up on new packs. What i mean is, after discussion with my mobile dealer, airtel's subscriber base is slowly plummeting due to higher tariffs vis-a-vis its competitors ! Recently I bought a 98920 series number for my friend here in Mumbai. Considering the amount of subscribers that they claim to have, they should have had to have atleast two new number series. The latest is 9867.

Airtel S**** !

BPL's also good, though I have included it in HUTCH itself.

Reliance need not really worry about Airtel. GSM Subscribers like me would rather vouch for CDMA Reliance rather than GSM Airtel......

My prefs are : 1.) Hutch 2.) Reliance 3.) Trump 4.) Tata 5.) Airtel

Edited October 8, 2005 by spookie

[@ksh@T 20]

Number portability gets a step closer to reality

NEW DELHI: The cell phone users may finally be able to switch operators without changing their numbers. The draft new telecom policy provides for implementation of number portability within 12 months of the policy's announcement. The draft policy is now under consideration of the government. Once implemented, mobile phone users would be the biggest gainers from the change.

The draft policy recognises that a phone number has become an important part of the identity of individuals and businesses. Non-portability creates exit barriers and reduces effective competition in the market. Telcos expect their additional spend on infrastructure to go up by about 10% if number portability is implemented.

This is considered the biggest obstacle to making portability effective. Operators are likely to pass this on to consumers by way of increased tariff and could, therefore, lead to opposition from users. On the other hand, telecom policy planners expect telephone operators to absorb the additional cost in the face of growing competition.

Earlier, number portability was not considered important because of the low subscriber base, but now, with the number of subscribers crossing 100m, consumers have been demanding ease of migration from one operator to another.

Pending the policy announcement, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has already initiated a consultation paper on the implementation of number portability. The Cellular Operators Association of India has sought two months to respond to the proposal. Trai would submit its recommendations to DoT by January, according to its chairman Pradip Baijal.

Number portability can be across services, across networks, across cities and within a city. Big telecom operators hate it, but new entrants want it. In any case, consumers would be the biggest gainers from this change. Big operators with a large subscriber base fear that introduction of number portability may result in large scale defection of subscribers.

TEC, a body under DoT responsible for technology validation and setting operating standards for the telecom sector, had earlier opposed number portability. In a note to the telecom commission, TEC had said the time was not ripe for number portability as it would increase the cost of calls.

There are two methods of implementing number portability. One, a simple call forwarding service which is considered a relatively crude method. The second is to install intelligent networks to identify and route calls. But, there is lack of clarity over who will share the cost of installing the additional network. The consultation paper will seek answers to all questions.

Source: The Economic Times

[linuxguy 0]

This is stupid. Like always, our businesses are reluctant to invest in infrastructure!