The country?s leading operator, Bharti Airtel has stated that it is ready to offer mobile number portability (MNP) service to its customers across the country.
MNP service allows subscribers to retain their existing mobile phone numbers when they move from one access provider to another, irrespective of the mobile technology; or when they move from one cellular mobile technology to another of the same access provider, in a licensed service area.
With the rollout of pan-India MNP service by Airtel, customers can expect their request for porting within operator?s network to be processed within 24 hours and enjoy free incoming on roaming once they raise an MNP request until it is processed. Further, Airtel customers can avail the option of transferring their balance in prepaid or carrying forward their unbilled/billed amount in the case of post-paid while porting their number to the new city.
Commenting on the nationwide MNP rollout service, Ajai Puri, director, market operations said, ?Today, not only has mobile phone become an essential part of our lives, the mobile number has equally become an indispensable identification for each one of us. With our complete readiness to launch national mobile number portability, we aim to empower customers enabling them to retain this identity as they move across anywhere in the country. To facilitate a seamless transition we will also allow our customers to enjoy free incoming on roaming while their number portability request is being processed.?
According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, in January 2015, 3.56 million subscribers submitted their requests for MNP. With this, the number of total MNP requests in the country increased from 142.98 million in December 2014 to 146.54 million in January 2015.
