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    January 04, 2014

    Nationwide number portability roll out delayed

    Nationwide number portability roll out delayed
    Trai secretary Rajeev Agrawal said that DoT hasn’t accepted the sector regulator’s recommendations on implementing full MNP.

    NEW DELHI: Mobile phone users may not get to avail of the full mobile number portability(MNP) service any time soon. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) secretary Rajeev Agrawal said that telecom department (DoT) hasn't accepted the sector regulator's recommendations on implementing full MNP.

    In September 2013, Trai had mandated mobile phone companies to implement full MNP within six months. MNP allows a subscriber to retain his mobile telephone number when he moves from one service provider to another, but only within a circle. Full MNP will allow users to retain their numbers even when shifting to another circle.

    ET had reported that the telecom department (DoT) has asked Trai to reconsider some of its recommendations that suggest changes in licence norms.

    At a briefing on Wednesday, Agrawal said that Trai had not got a response from DoT and that it would take operators six months after DoT accepts the recommendations.

    He added that Trai had managed to control pesky messages and unsolicited calls after it reduced penalties from a maximum penalty of Rs 5,000 per complaint on service providers — and implemented a graded financial disincentive framework. Trai has imposed over Rs 2.2 crore in fines over the last four months and telecom facilities of over 60 real estate and spa entities have been disconnected.

    Meanwhile, the number of registered telemarketers has doubled to over 6,000 since August, when Trai reduced the enrollment fee, the secretary added. Overall, the regulator disconnected 9 lakh numbers and blacklisted over 1.7 lakh unregistered individuals for making pesky calls and SMSes during the year.

    The number of complaints on unsolicited communication has come down to 11,200 a month in 2013, from 44,000 a month in 2012. Trai also imposed a financial disincentive of Rs 2.8 crore across all telecom operators for failing to meet quality of services benchmark in 2013.

    "However, there has been improvement in quality of services. Earlier, telecom operators were not meeting quality of services norms in 170 circles (number of circles counted on individual operator basis), this has come down to 104," Trai's advisor Robert Ravi said separately at the same briefing
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    Item Reviewed: Nationwide number portability roll out delayed Rating: 5 Reviewed By: Kaustav Basu
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