India’s mobile number portability (MNP) system appears to be stabilising, with fresh data from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) showing a sharp decline in user grievances over the past few months. The numbers point to a consistent trend: fewer porting failures, fewer disputes and a smoother overall experience for subscribers.
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Between April and September 2025, DoT recorded 6,523 MNP-related grievances, translating to a grievance rate of 14.1%. This six-month phase saw a steady flow of complaints, with users often reporting unclear rejection codes, inconsistent responses and delays in porting.
But the picture changed in the following months.
In October 2025, complaints dropped dramatically to 707 cases (8.7%), and the improvement continued in November 2025, which reported only 607 grievances (6.5%). The six-month high of 6,523 complaints versus 607 in November highlights one of the most significant reductions seen in recent years.
What’s Behind the Decline?
DoT attributes the improvement to three major changes:
1. Clearer, Transparent Rejection Reasons
Operators are now required to provide specific reasons for any port rejection. No arbitrary denials, no vague codes. Customers know exactly why a request was blocked and what needs to be corrected.
2. Better MNP Infrastructure
Improved server uptime and a more stable MNP backend ensure that porting requests are processed without frequent outages or delays. This has reduced the number of failed or stuck requests.
3. User-Friendly Measures
Subscribers can now re-request valid Unique Portability Codes (UPC) within the 4-day validity period, making the process more flexible and reducing repeat complaints.
Why This Matters
A clean MNP system is important not only for users but also for the broader telecom market. Faster and smoother porting means:
- Quicker operator choice
- Fewer hassles for subscribers
- Reduced backend load for telcos
- More trust in the portability ecosystem
Lower MNP grievances also indicate healthier operational discipline among operators and fewer disputes around SIM ownership, unpaid dues and technical rejections.
India’s MNP process has long been criticised for delays and unpredictable rejections. The latest DoT data shows visible improvement from thousands of complaints in the first half of the year to just over 600 in November.
If this trend continues, India could finally be moving toward a more reliable and transparent portability system that works consistently across all operators.
