In a response to Lok Sabha, Minister of Telecommunications Ravi Shankar Prasad reconfirmed that May 3 is still the deadline for rolling out full Mobile Number Portability (MNP) across the country. The request from Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) to set up a committee and to extend the date of implementing full MNP persists, however, the Government has not taken any decision on this regard.
"In consideration of the same (request), the Department has constituted a committee, but the request of COAI to extend the deadline for full MNP has yet not been agreed," Minister said. He also added that on the course of action to be taken for any delay in deadline fulfilment is also not decided. "The deadline for rolling out full MNP is yet to be reached and further course of action shall be decided thereafter."
The full MNP will allow the subscribers to retain their mobile numbers in any part of the country, even when they change their states or operators. Telecom operators stated technical glitches and coordination issues to implement the same within May 3 deadline. They requested the Government to form a committee to help them coordinate between the public and private stakeholders in the sector.
Recently, COAI further announced that the implementation of full MNP is not possible at least till July 2015, as DoT’s new amendment on National Numbering Plan (NNP) demands new technical alterations in the process.
