India's Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today launched nation wide Mobile Number Portability (MNP), a move that will allow mobile telephony users to switch operators without losing their mobile numbers.
The much awaited Pan-India MNP service inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh by making inaugural call to Shri Kapil Sibal, the Union Telecom Minister from a ported number in presence of Sachin Pilot, the Minister of State in an inaugural function held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
Speaking on the launch of Pan-India MNP, Dr Manmohan Singh Congratulate the Telecom Sector for the introduction of MNP and for being the fastest growing telecom market in the world, the Prime Minister said that the MNP is a shining example of how our telecommunications services have helped to widen human choices in a very important area of nation’s economic activity. Telecommunications provide a key tool for socio-economic transformation of our rural areas, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Uninon Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said Implementation of MNP will not only give wider choices to the Indian subscribers but will also compel Service providers to offer innovative, affordable and competitive Tariff plans for the benefit of the masses.
The MNP services were first launched in Haryana telecom circle on 25th November 2010, as earlier we shared on TelecomTalk.
To avail the MNP service subscriber needs to send SMS PORT followed by 10 Digit Mobile Number to 1900 and they will get UPC porting code by SMS after that they need to submit CAF (application form) and MNP form with UPC to desired new service provider.
The mobile operators such as Vodafone Essar, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Uninor, Tata Docomo/TTSL, BSNL, MTNL, MTS/SSTL are already to geared up to encash the MNP to boost their sales and revenues by garbing new some high end subscribers.
Speaking with the TelecomTalk Mr. Rajat Mukarji, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Idea Cellular said "We understand that consumers are looking for a pan-India network offering seamless connectivity across the length and breadth of the country; affordable and relevant products and service offerings; accessible and humane customer care; accurate billing systems; voice clarity and no call drops. These are the key parameters for consumer satisfaction and will ultimately be the deciding factors for exercising choice, post MNP."
He further added "Idea was the first telecom operator to launch a series of ads with the message - ‘No Idea, Get Idea’ - on TV and extending to other media such as Digital, Radio and Outdoor.We expect a gain from MNP and are confident of building on to our current subscriber base of over 81 million across the country."
Mr Deepak Gulati, Executive President, Mobility Business Division, Tata Teleservices said that "We have been strong advocates of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) for years and welcome the new regime that begins today. This is a beginning of an era which will give new direction to the Indian telecom industry—as a Tata Group company, we have always felt that the power of choice should be left to the customers. Customers should have the right to choose whichever service provider they find the best—and it is up to the operators to provide the best possible services to keep their customers loyal to them. MNP will be a great leveler, because it will liberate telecom users and give them the power of choice."
