The Telecom regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has asked operators to obtain undertaking of ownership from subscribers who wish to port their numbers. Further, such subscribers will be disconnected these subscribers if the information provided by them is found to be incorrect.
In a statement published on its website, TRAI has stated, ?The authority, hereby, directs the holders having authorisation to provide access service to incorporate in their porting request form, an undertaking to be obtained from the subscriber seeking porting of his mobile number, declaring that he is the owner of the said mobile number.”
The regulatory body has further stated that in case the undertaking is found to be false, the said mobile number shall be disconnected and the operator should furnish the compliance report within twenty one days from the date of issue of the direction.
TRAI has claimed that its directive has come after a number of disputes have come up regarding the ownership of mobile numbers, after porting from one service provider to another. With a view to strengthen the process of verification of the ownership of mobile number under porting, TRAI invited the comments of stakeholders on obtaining an undertaking of ownership of the mobile number from the subscriber at the time of porting. The regulatory body?s latest directive is based on recommendations received from operators.
Mobile number portability (MNP) allows users to retain their numbers while switching to another operator within the same circle. The government has asked telecom firms to implement nationwide MNP by May 3, 2015 a move that will enable subscribers to retain their numbers when they shift to other states or licenced service areas.
