According to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), 18.1 million mobile subscribers opted for mobile number portability (MNP) until end-August 2011. Of this, Gujarat received the maximum number of requests (1.76 million) for the facility.
In the month of August, the regulator said it had received 2.51 million requests. Gujarat was followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka where 1.47 million and 1.4 million customers, respectively, requested for the service.
To opt for MNP, a customer has to pay a maximum of Rs 19 to the new operator for ‘porting’ the number and remain with the new operator for at least three months. The customer has to send an SMS from the existing phone to 1900. A unique porting code is sent by the existing provider. An application then has to be filed with the new service provider mentioning the code for transferring the connection.
