Mobile Number Portability Charges Slashed to ₹4

[Amitav Sengupta]

The regulatory body of Telecom sector, TRAI, has slashed the charges of Mobile Number Portability by 74%. After considering the views from different stakeholders, TRAI has decided to cut down MNP charges from ₹19 to ₹4.

With this reduction, the subscribers cannot be charged more than ₹4 for each successful port out. The TRAI has initiated the consultation process with the stakeholders in mid-December. Due to the rise in MNP traffic, there is definitely a need to cut down the cost of MNP operations.

Starting 2009, a charge of ₹19 was collected from the subscriber who is willing to port his mobile number to another telecom service provider. With the considerable increase in MNP traffic, the prescribed ceiling of ₹19 is further slashed now.

Per Port Transaction Charge - A Maximum of ₹4:

The TRAI’s latest move will the subscribers as the Mobile Number Portability is much cheaper now. It’s also declared that the telecom companies are free to charge a lesser amount but not strictly not more than ₹4.

To those who are unaware, Mobile Number Portability (MNP) facilitates the mobile telephone subscribers to retain their mobile number when changing from one telecom network carrier to another.

This facility was implemented nationwide on 20th January 2011 and is highly regarded as an important milestone in the telecom industry. Currently, the Port Transaction Charge is collected by the MNP service provider from the recipient carrier for processing each port request.

After porting, the customer is locked for a period of 90 days. That means the user should complete 90 days with the current telecom operator to be eligible for porting out to another service provider.

Back to the reduction in MNP charges, the telecom companies are welcoming this move. Speaking on this event, COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews said, it will be beneficial for both customers and operators as the cost of porting will be greatly reduced.

My Opinion:

Definitely, this is a welcome move and of course long overdue. Hope TRAI would also consider a revision of the lock-in period. Nations like Australia, Canada, United States, El Salvador etc. offer MNP for free and the procedure takes just 10-20 minutes. Hope TRAI takes a note of it.

Also Read: Mobile Number Portability: Biggest Gainer Vodafone & Biggest Loser RCom