The government may miss the March 31 deadline to roll out mobile number portability (MNP) across the country, as the security agencies have raised severe objections to the whole plan and sought a foolproof plan to monitor phone numbers that are under surveillance.
The government has already missed the December 31, 2009 deadline for implementing MNP in the four metros since state-run BSNL and MTNL were not ready for the rollout. The government was quick to announce that MNP would be implemented countrywide by March 31. Now even that looks impossible.
MNP, which enables subscribers to retain their mobile phone numbers while changing the service providers, has faced objection from the security agencies as they feel that the mechanism can be misused by anti-national elements. The agencies have pointed out that a suspect subscriber can, by changing his service provider frequently, communicate easily with his contacts using the same number, and escape security monitoring.
Monitoring of a suspect mobile subscriber is enabled at the mobile switching centre of a specific service provider. It would be difficult for the security agencies to keep track of a suspected subscriber?s mobile operators, if he changes the operator frequently, the agencies have said.
They have suggested that before starting MNP, it is necessary that the security implications are examined and discussed in detail and safeguards are incorporated in the procedures.
The department of telecommunications (DoT)?s response to the concern is that a subscriber who changes the service provider informs the same to the operator, and it would then be intimated to the security agencies so that surveillance can be shifted to a different switching centre.
However, the agencies have a problem here?the onus in this case lie on the person who changes the number or the mobile service provider, which is not foolproof. ?Obviously, a criminal would change the service provider frequently to avoid a trail and by the time the requisite formalities are done, it might be too late,? said an official.
Sources said so far DoT and the security officials have failed to come to a meeting point, and unless the issue is not resolved fast?latest by the month-end?it would be difficult to implement MNP by March 31. This is because the entire apparatus needs to be put in place almost two months in advance and trial runs need to conducted. Companies have to order the equipment, and interconnection has to be established between the service providers and the MNP clearing agency, which will manage the change of service providers.
?If there?s a cost involved in monitoring the numbers under surveillance then who bears that has also to be sorted out. So far not much has moved in this direction,? said an official involved with the process.