FAQs of Mobile Number Portability

Finally, the most awaited Mobile Number Portability (MNP)is here. Starting today, you will now be able to switch networks as per your convenience and choice as MNP is now launched all over India. Many of us want to know about some of the frequently asked questions about the Mobile Number Portability. So, lets check out the same.

FAQs of Mobile Number Portability

1. What is Mobile number Portability (MNP)?
Basically, MNP which is the short form of Mobile number Portability which allows you to retain the same number and allows you to switch to different operator irrespective of GSM or CDMA mobile operator.

2. What is the Benefit of using MNP?
In an era of competition where Customer is a King, you get a freedom to choose from the services of different operators present across your circle. Since this allows you to retain the number and change the operator you will be relieved from new set of numbers which you previously used to get when you change the number.

3. What is meant by the term Porting?
Porting is basically a technical word which means that your mobile number is ported to a new recipient operator or in short it’s an act of switching to a new mobile service provider.

4. How i can Port and what are the requirements for taking the advantage of MNP?
There’s a procedure by following which you will be able to port your number to an operator of your choice. If you are a prepaid subscriber then you should have at least completed 90 days with the current operator before applying for MNP. If you are a postpaid customer, then here too you should complete 90 days with your current telecom operator before applying for MNP.

5. Is MNP available only for postpaid customers or prepaid customers can also avail this?
Irrespective of Prepaid or Postpaid, all subscribers who have been a customer of a particular operator for at least a period of 90 days.

6. Will my balance and scheme will be transferred with the number if i shift to any other operator?
No, all balances and schemes of your current operator will be lapsed and you need to choose from the plan which the recipient operator is offering.

7. Can i make use of MNP and shift to other operator without clearing the dues of my existing operator?
Unless and until you clear all the dues of your current postpaid connection you will not be allowed to port your number to any other operator.

8. What are the documents i need to carry when i go for porting my number?
You need to carry two recently clicked passport sized photos along with Proof of Address (POA) and Proof of Identity (POI). Do carry original documents as well as a copy of both.

9. Where i need to go for porting my number?
If you are a customer of Loop Mobile and wishes to move to Vodafone, then you need to go directly go to Vodafone’s official Gallery for porting your number.

10. Do i need to get porting code or the recipient operator will do the same?
It’s always better to take the UPC along with you to the recipient operator’s store. You just need to sms PORT (your 10 digit mobile number) to 1900 and within seconds you will receive the UPC from 1901.

11. What is the Porting charge, is it free?
Porting charge is not free; porting fee is fixed at Rs.19 by TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India), though some companies may offer porting charges less than Rs. 19, in some cases it may be nil due to immense competition in the telecom market.

12. How many days it will take to port my number?
Porting the number will not take more than 7 working days.

13. Can i shift from CDMA to GSM?
Yes, irrespective of CDMA or GSM, you can shift to the new operator and retain the same number. However you will need to have a GSM handset to accommodate the GSM Sim.

14. Can i cancel the porting request?
In an unlikely even if you wish to cancel the porting request you can do so but for this you need to give a written cancellation request within 24 hours of the porting request.

15. Are there any Cancellation charges?
There will not be any additional cancellation charges but the amount of Rs.19 which is the porting fee will not be refunded.

16. Can i shift within the network from Prepaid to Postpaid using MNP?
If you want to shift within the network like Postpaid to Prepaid or Prepaid to postpaid then it’s not required to exercise the MNP as you can do this without using MNP too. Just visit your Operator’s help desk and they will help you out regarding the same.

17. If am a customer of airtel Mumbai, can i port my number to airtel Maharashtra & Goa network or to any other network operator in Maharashtra & Goa circle?
Since, DOT has decided to implement Mobile Number Portability (MNP) within a circle; customer can port their number to another service provider as long as it is done within a circle. Portability between other circles (called Inter circle portability) is not allowed as yet.

18. Under MNP can i switch my Landline number to another operator?
As of now number portability is only made available for the Mobile customers, so Landline customers will not be able to use MNP service.

19. Do i need to submit the Old sim to the new operator?
No, in any case you should not submit your Old sim to the recipient operator as that sim will be with you.

20. Will there be any service disruption time during the MNP Process?
Yes, there will be a service disruption time of only 2 hrs during this process which will be preferably during the night time.

21. Can i port more than once?
Yes, as of now there is no cap on the number of times you can port to operator, as after every 90 days you can port your number to the operator of your choice.

22. If i have a Reliance number which is registered on my name, can i transfer the same number to any other person in the process of Mobile number Portability?
No, you cannot transfer the ownership in the process of Mobile number portability in any case.

23. How will I know when I have to replace my old SIM with the new SIM?
You will get an sms from the recipient operator with details like port-in date and time after which you can use your existing number on new sim.

24. For how long will be the Unique Porting Code be valid?
Unique Porting Code (UPC) received by you while making the porting request is valid for a period of 15 days after which if you wish to get UPC again then you need to again send Porting request to 1900.

25. Who is the recipient operator?
Recipient Operator is an operator or a service provider who will be providing mobile service to the subscriber after porting. In other words, recipient operator is the operator that a mobile subscriber wants to port to.

With the help of Mobile number portability, yuo can port your number to any mobile service provider within your telecom circle like Vodafone, airtel, MTNL, BSNL, Videocon, Idea Cellular, Cheers Mobile etc.source

MNP may improve mobile service quality

Are you one of those who's desperate to dump your mobile operator because of the large number of call drops, but wary because a number change will create complications?

Well then, here's your chance. The much awaited mobile number portability (MNP) is here, starting today.

It allows customers to keep their mobile number irrespective of who their cellular network operator is. It means, if you switch operators, you need not have to send those "hange of contact" mailers to hundreds of your friends, family and workmates.

This freedom for consumers is also expected to enhance the quality of service providers as retaining this highly floating subscriber base would become challenging for providers.
Anupama Ahluwalia, senior vice president (marketing), Idea Cellular says, "We realise that a large number of subscribers are waiting to switch to a network that offers seamless connectivity across the length and breadth of the country.''

Suresh S Kumar, COO (Karnataka & Andra Pradesh) MTS, says MNP opens up a good opportunity for customers and mobile service operators to redefine their relationships based on quality of customer service and network performance. ``MNP is bound to add to competition within the various mobile service operators,'' he says.

Venkatesh V, CEO for mobile services in Bharti Airtel Karnataka, plugs for his service: "Joining the first family in mobile service will be rewarding."

Most research finds that the churn on account of MNP would be less than 1%. But all service providers are gearing up. Idea Cellular, Tata Docomo, Vodafone, Aircel have all rolled out new TV commercials and other campaigns to lure customers under MNP.

MTS is in the process of rolling out a slew of offers, including subsidizing handsets for migrating GSM and CDMA customers. Many others are rolling out new tariff plans which would involve customers benefiting from getting free local calls, free SMSs and free data.source

3G for Aircel in 30days

Aircel Ltd, a privately owned service provider seems on the way to introduced third- generation telecommunications services across the country (India) within 30 days, company reveals.

The company was just waiting for the mobile number portability (MNP) services to touch the market.

Now the subscribers could change their network operators without changing the numbers and this has been launched across the Nation from Today.

MNP effect: Service providers alter gameplans

With over 600 million mobile subscribers set to get a choice to change their operators while retaining their numbers from tomorrow by availing mobile mumber portability (MNP), service providers are using every trick in the marketing trade to retain their customers and woo new ones. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be launching the service tomorrow.
However, operators are not expecting the churn due to MNP to be more than 1 per cent, from a current industry average churn rate of 4-5 per cent per month. This is also based on their experience in the circle of Haryana, where MNP was launched in December last year and about 100,000 customers decided to change their operators on a customer base of 19 million.

The operators focus is to retain their high-Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) postpaid customers, who contribute about 15-20 per cent to their revenue. They are also going out in a big way to retain their prepaid high-ARPU users.

Vodafone Essar, for instance, is already studying the records of their high-paying postpaid customers to see whether there has been a sudden drop in their ARPUs, as that is a clear reflection that he is using another alternate service.
“Our approach is to go to the consumer even before he registers to understand the reason — whether is it network problem, service or something else. Giving freebies or discounts is only a small part of the game,” said a Vodafone official.
Going by its record in Haryana (where the service was launched on an experimental basis last December), the company says it has been able to retain 60 per cent of the customers who might have shifted services.
State-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), which provide services in Delhi and Mumbai, also echoed similar views. “We have asked our marketing and customer care people to address the issues of our subscribers, who are likely to shift. MTNL also offers BlackBerry services, which has picked up very well. So, there will be a focus on high-end customers.”
New players like Sistema Shyam, which offer CDMA services are looking at wooing customers to their fold. The company is planning to offer subsidised mobile phones under a two way scheme — one you pay for the phone upfront but get reimbursed for the money you have spend through free talk time, downloads and even SMSes. The second offer is to buy it under a long term EMI scheme.
Sistema that runs under the MTS brand name is also planning to offer packages which have a lot of free talk time and data rolled in. The company is also cashing on the fact that with MNP, the differentiation in the numbering plan between CDMA and GSM would go away.
Other new players like Loop Mobile are trying to attract customers with a service guarantee — they have decided to compensate their subscribers for every call drop. “This does not mean that we have not stopped bringing a superior network. In case of any call drop, a subscriber has to send an SMS NC to 50800 (postpaid) / 50505 (prepaid) and get their money back.”
Loop is also bringing its customer care service under scrutiny. It will answer all calls to the customer care centres within 10 seconds or reverse the money spent on the call.
Operators however say state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) might be the one which would be impacted the most from MNP as it has not been able to make fresh investments to modernise and expand its network capacity-based on the trend in Haryana.
Incumbents also believe the churn would not benefit new operators, as customers are looking for established player with a tested pan-India network to churn.
Others like Uninor go further to say MNP will not be a game changer. “Our research suggests that MNP will not be a game changer. However, it could still result in some interesting new strategies. MNP will definitely have higher relevance in the postpaid segment since these number loyal subscribers haven’t yet had free choice on worries of losing their number identity. MNP may also force operators to think segmentation in the prepaid market,” says its Corporate Affairs executive Vice President Rajiv Bawa.
For availing the MNP service, mobile subscribers have to pay Rs19. To port his number, the subscribers have to request the new operator for acceptance of his connection and the process would have to be completed in four days.
Syniverse and MNP Interconnection Telecom Solutions (MITS) have been given licence by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to implement MNP across the country.
MNP was initially scheduled to be implemented from December 31, 2009 in the metros and category-A circles, while the rest of the country was slated to have this platform by April 1, 2010.source