New Delhi: Its real and its portable. Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is a reality from today. All service providers have come on board. What it means is that mobile subscribers can now keep their existing mobile phone numbers even while shifting between states and circles.
So far, while mobile users could retain their existing number when switching service provider, this was possible only within the same state or telecom circle. The move lays the first stone for the government’s ‘One nation, One number’ plan and is sure to benefit millions of people across the country.
Earlier, the deadline to rollout full MNP was May 2, 2015. This was, however, extended by two months after the Cellular Operators Association of India asked for an extension from the telecom department.
India is divided into 22 telecom service areas or circles.
With about 3 million intra-circle MNP requests every month, more than 157 million subscribers have ported to other operators as of April, according to Trai data.
MNP was first launched in Haryana in November 2010 and later expanded to other circles. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had approved the national MNP recommendations of Trai in November last year.
