Number portability: all about choices

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: A mobile company advertises its phones on TV as the names of people. It is quite funny, but buttresses the message that a mobile phone number is a person’s identity. Thus changing a mobile number and getting a new number is like changing one’s own identity. In most of the advanced countries, consumers are able to switch their service providers without losing their number, thus retaining their identity. Fortunately, India is also moving in this direction.

The issue of mobile number portability (MNP) policy has been a hot issue of debate among operators as well as industry experts. No doubt it will affect the market share of few operators. However, in the end, consumers will be benefitted by improved quality of service and lower tariffs. Initially, MNP will be implemented in all the metro cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata on a trial basis by the fourth quarter of 2008, and in the second stage, it will be extended to the rest of the country.

This move by the government is expected to promote healthy competition by providing consumers with a choice of service providers as has been argued in the recent study: “Competition & Regulation in India, 2007” done by CUTS with assistance from the UK government. Once MNP is in operation, a consumer will be able to switch his current service provider without losing the number within the same service zone. Presently, if consumers wish to change their provider, they will have to surrender their number and thus get into the rigmarole of notifying all their contacts. Further, quite often mobile phone companies launch various plans to attract new customers to increase their market share. Generally, these plans are not available to the existing subscribers. For example, the subscribers enjoying a lifetime plan scheme are not allowed to subscribe to other tariff plans of the same service provider. There are a number of other fair and unfair means limiting the consumers’ choice.