MNP (Mobile Number Portability)

What is Number Portability?

Number Portability allows consumers and businesses to keep their existing telephone numbers when they switch operators. It, literally, means that numbers are portable from operator to operator - whether that operator is a mobile, wireline, or VoIP service provider.

Number Portability benefits everyone.

It gives subscribers the freedom to choose operators based on criteria like services, price, and customer service. Their freedom of movement is not influenced by the inconveniences and costs that come with changing numbers.

It also makes it easier for operators to compete for customers, precisely because it eliminates a major barrier to churn - that is, reluctance to change numbers. Although this increased risk of churn is a concern among some operators, number portability has been a huge success around the world, because it helps to level the playing field, giving all operators more opportunities to grow their subscriber bases and revenues.

When in Karnataka and How it'll work?

The services will be launched in the state in January 2011. All one needs to do is to send an SMS from the phone to "1900" to which the present company will revert with a unique porting code.

That code will be required while filling a detailed form of the company one wants to shift to. Within 48 hours, the company will take over the cellphone services for a nominal fee of Rs.19. Following this, the number will be switched off for an hour.

Once switched over to the new operator, one would have to continue with it for at least 50 days. While one can shift from a GSM to  CDMA service or vice versa, but not from one state to another.