Indian mobile users will soon be able to keep their number when changing provider, even if they are moving to a new telecoms circle.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday amended mobile number portability (MNP) rules.
Chief among its amendments is the introduction of full pan-Indian MNP from 3 May. Previously, mobile users were only able to port their numbers to another provider in the same telecom circle.
The move follows changes to the country’s MNP licence agreement enacted by the Department of Telecom (DoT) in November.
The TRAI also made changes to the porting process, including the introduction of new rules regarding the payment of outstanding bills to the donor operator and regulation designed to make more effective use of India’s pressured numbering resources. On the latter point, it has reduced the time period in which a disconnected number remains unused to 60 days from 90 days.
