If anyone has read The Times Of India two days back, this blog will not surprise you. Otherwise here is the surprise. I would call this as a great entry for the telecom ministry in India.
All these while, if we change our location from one city to another, we would change our mobile numbers to that particular city local service provider. After that, we would be updating our friends,family,relatives etc... with the number. This is such a big headache for all of us. This happened to me also recently when I shifted from TamilNadu to Karnataka.
Indian telecom industry has come up with a solution of retaining the mobile number where you go. That means even if you go from delhi to mumbai and change your sim to the local service provider sim, the number will not change. You can retain the same number. This would become easier for the users but a tough task for the service providers. Common numbers has to be given.
This is getting implemented in the four metro cities. Lets wait and see how good this idea works out!...
All these while, if we change our location from one city to another, we would change our mobile numbers to that particular city local service provider. After that, we would be updating our friends,family,relatives etc... with the number. This is such a big headache for all of us. This happened to me also recently when I shifted from TamilNadu to Karnataka.
Indian telecom industry has come up with a solution of retaining the mobile number where you go. That means even if you go from delhi to mumbai and change your sim to the local service provider sim, the number will not change. You can retain the same number. This would become easier for the users but a tough task for the service providers. Common numbers has to be given.
This is getting implemented in the four metro cities. Lets wait and see how good this idea works out!...
This is what is given in the news paper:
"Here’s good news for India’s 210 million mobile consumers. After sitting on the decision for over two years, the telecom ministry on Monday finally decided to introduce number portability for mobile services. This means if you are unhappy with your mobile service provider but have been unable to shift to another because it would mean changing your number, you will be able to switch while retaining the same number.
The move, long demanded by those who wanted a truly competitive telecom market, should see service providers going the extra mile to ensure their customers stay satisfied and hence loyal to them. According to telecom minister A Raja, the facility will be launched in the four metros to begin with. However, he did not specify exactly when this would happen.
Full number portability allows users to retain their telephone numbers not just when they change service providers. They can also retain the number when they are switching service types — say, from mobile to fixed line — or when changing locations — say, from Delhi to Mumbai or viceversa. The portability envisaged by Raja, however, will only allow wireless number portability.
The lack of number portability between mobile providers in India has kept many consumers from changing services because of the inconvenience of changing their phone number on business cards and other documents, and informing all their contacts of the new number. Its introduction will get rid of these hassles.
Not surprisingly, GSM operators are unhappy about the development. T V Ramachandran of the Cellular Operators’ Association of India alleged that mobile number portability is introduced to benefit an operator seeking to enter the GSM segment — a reference to Reliance.
Reliance Communications boss Anil Ambani said: “It is pro-competition, pro-consumer and pro-choice. For the first time in the four metros, GSM operators will face real competition”.
CDMA association AUSPI welcomed the move. “It’s an important and effective tool for ensuring effective competition and improved quality of service in the mobile telecom service sector which will ultimately benefit the subscribers at large,” said S C Khanna of AUSPI. "
The move, long demanded by those who wanted a truly competitive telecom market, should see service providers going the extra mile to ensure their customers stay satisfied and hence loyal to them. According to telecom minister A Raja, the facility will be launched in the four metros to begin with. However, he did not specify exactly when this would happen.
Full number portability allows users to retain their telephone numbers not just when they change service providers. They can also retain the number when they are switching service types — say, from mobile to fixed line — or when changing locations — say, from Delhi to Mumbai or viceversa. The portability envisaged by Raja, however, will only allow wireless number portability.
The lack of number portability between mobile providers in India has kept many consumers from changing services because of the inconvenience of changing their phone number on business cards and other documents, and informing all their contacts of the new number. Its introduction will get rid of these hassles.
Not surprisingly, GSM operators are unhappy about the development. T V Ramachandran of the Cellular Operators’ Association of India alleged that mobile number portability is introduced to benefit an operator seeking to enter the GSM segment — a reference to Reliance.
Reliance Communications boss Anil Ambani said: “It is pro-competition, pro-consumer and pro-choice. For the first time in the four metros, GSM operators will face real competition”.
CDMA association AUSPI welcomed the move. “It’s an important and effective tool for ensuring effective competition and improved quality of service in the mobile telecom service sector which will ultimately benefit the subscribers at large,” said S C Khanna of AUSPI. "
