Telecom regulator TRAI on Wednesday issued a direction to troubled operator Aircel, granting it additional time and porting codes to enable its customers to shift to other networks. The decision was taken after a lot of users in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Mumbai and Punjab, recently faced difficulties in porting their mobile numbers to other service providers. Aircel has been given 45 days to allot port codes and the operator will also have to update TRAI about the number of customers who have opted out. The telco had approached TRAI last week, highlighting the financial difficulties it is facing.
The process of porting from Aircel is a simple one and requires only 4 steps. Here is how to port from Aircel to Airtel, Jio and other networks:
1. Understand your mobile number porting eligibility:
– For this, you will have to call the customer care of the new mobile operator and understand its terms & conditions.
– In case you want to port out, you will have to fill the CAF and porting form. You will need a Unique Porting Code for the same.
2. Get UPC:
– In order to get UPC or Unique Porting Code, you will have to send a message ‘PORT xxxxxxxxxx’ to 1900. Here is x is your 10-digit Aircel mobile number.
– The residents of Jammu and Kashmir will have to call 1900 to get their UPC.
– You will be provided by an 8 digit UPC with first two characters as alphabets and rest six as numerical characters.
3. Porting request:
– Submit the CAF along with the porting form to your new mobile operator.
– You will have to provide these details for porting:
a) UPC (Unique Porting Code)
b) Documents required by your new Mobile Operator
c) Last bill paid receipt from Aircel, if you are a post-paid subscriber
– You will get the new SIM card after paying the respective charge.
Note: The mobile number portability request can be cancelled within 24 hours from submitting the CAF and Porting Form
4. Activation of new number:
– If the request is accepted from Aircel, the mobile operator will confirm it in 3-4 working days.
– The old number will be ported to the new number on the 7th working day. However, if you are from Jammu & Kashmir, Assam & North East, it will be on 15th working day.
