Nov
21
Number portability to cost only Rs. 19
November 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment
For some time now, the TRAI has announced that India will have a system that allows number portability, just that the date by which the system has to come into operation keeps on getting delayed. Number portability is a process by which a consumer can get to keep their number while changing their service provider; something that allows a lot more freedom to consumers. After all, one of the biggest problems currently with changing your service provider is that you have to take a new number, one that you need to send to all your friends, family and colleagues, and the longer you have had your current number, the more difficult it can be. Number portability means that if you find plans from a different service provider to be more useful, or if the service level of your current provider is not satisfactory, you can change and yet get to keep your number (I remember when I had to change my number since the previous provider did not have a good tower network nearby and call dropping was rampant, and the number changing was a nuisance).
After it was announced that number portability would need to be implemented, many service providers were talking about the cost of maintaining the infrastructure for number portability, how it would need to be passed onto their customers, and many were wondering whether, with this cost, number portability would be useful ? However, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has scotched all these reports by announcing that the cost of portability should not be more than Rs. 19, as well as the implementation would need to be done in 4 days (link to article):
The country is set to introduce mobile number portability (MNP) on December 31. MNP allows the subscribers to retain their existing mobile telephone number even as they move from one access provider to another. This move is irrespective of the mobile technology or from one cellular mobile technology to another of the same access provider, in a licensed service area. In other words, the consumer can switch from CDMA to GSM.
The move is expected to increase competition among operators and act as a catalyst to improve their quality of service. Operators are free to levy any amount less than or equal to Rs 19, the regulator has said in a statement.
In the beginning, there was opposition to the concept of number portability since established telecom operators felt that the newer operators, in order to gain volumes, would launch price wars and number portability would make it easier for consumers to shift. However, with TRAI insisting on number portability, it is now set to be introduced at the end of this year.
|
|
|
Comments
Subscribe to Feed
