What is MNP? Know Advantage & Disadvantage of MNP
Mobile MNP (Mobile Number Portability)
Mobile Number Portability came like a gift to the Mobile phone users in India. The first state where the service was introduced was Haryana and it was rolled out all over the Country on 3rd July 2015. The MNP actually came as a boon for customers who were reluctant to change their mobile numbers due to various personal or business reasons. Although there is nominal fee of Rs 19/- for porting our mobile number and it is fixed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, TRAI had also indicated that “The amount to be paid by the subscriber shall not be more than the per port transaction charge i.e. Rs.19. Operators are free to charge any amount less than or equal to this charge” Moreover in some cases, the fees might be paid by the telecom service provider and we can check it from the customer care center of the respective company.
What is MNP technically?
While most of us have heard the word porting, we’ll talk about the technical meaning of porting in this article.For example, Mr X is not satisfied with the services of current telecom service provider and wants to switch to another telecom company while retaining the same mobile contact number for connecting with his colleagues and friends, then he can do it with Mobile Number Portability. Moreover, the whole process of switching to a new service provider is called ‘number port’
How can Mr. X apply for porting?
Hence, if Mr X has finally decided for switching to another service provider, he can follow the below mentioned steps:
1. He should read the eligibility conditions mandatory for porting.This information and more details are available on www.trai.gov.in (website of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India)
2. He should contact the preferred Telecom service provider and request the customer acquisition form & porting form
3. If Mr X is eligible for porting, then he should obtain UPC (Unique by Porting Code by sending an SMS from the mobile number he wants to port to number ‘1900’ with text ‘PORT’ followed by space followed by his 10 digit mobile number he wants to port.
4. Then submit the duly filled Porting Form and CAF along with his required documents proof.
5. Obtain new Sim Card from the new service provider
Note :
1. In case of post paid subscriber, we need to submit a copy of the last paid bill issued along with the Porting Form and CAF
2. The porting request can be withdrawn within 24 hours of applying
3. The whole process takes 7 days and a nominal fee of Rs 19 will be charged but lesser amount can be charged by different service providers.
4. Once the number is ported, we cannot apply again for porting before 90 days.
5. The process of porting takes seven days and you will be charged a nominal feel of Rs 19. After your number is ported you will be able to access all the services available. But once you have ported your number, you cannot port again for the next 90 days.
Advantages
Well, we’ll be talking about the advantages first and below mentioned are few of them:
1. The biggest problem before introduction of MNP was communicating the new cell number to all our contacts. Moreover, in case of any emergency message, there could be delay due to change in contact number.
2. Calling rates would also be reduced due to competition between telecom companies
3. The Business or corporate users can benefit by retaining the same number and hence there is almost 0 chance of losing important contacts.
4. Special Tariff plans would be introduced for customers using this new service providing high quality video calls and other latest facilities.
5. Quality of service for the customers could be improved by storing the details of the messages and contacts which is there in the subscribers previous SIM card by sending a request to the new service provider through the help of application form whose information is given below in switching operator section.
6. Easier for people to consult the Doctors at times of any critical situation where advice is required.
7. The charges are nominal and some telecom companies charging even lesser amount or no amount.
8. Also, MNP leads to saving important time of telecom companies as well for providing a new number for the new subscriber and MNP service shows the customer’s interest in their company. This serves as a scope for the destination company to improve further in area of customer service.
9. We can switch from GSM to CDMA and vice versa.
Disadvantages
Although MNP offers number of benefits, there are some drawbacks as well:
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Once a person has opted for porting his number with the new service provider and received a new sim card, he cannot apply for porting again before 90 days. Hence, in case the customer is not satisfied with the services provided from the new company as well, he has to continue for atleast 3 months with the same mobile number.
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In case of changing platform from CDMA to GSM or the other way, we need to change the handset as well. This means spending more from your pocket.
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The process of porting takes needs to be made faster as it takes 7 days. Hence, if a person is moving to another state, roaming charges would apply during the period.
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You cannot switch from one State to other which would mean that you cannot have one number across the country. Example if your number is registered in Punjab you cannot switch to a service provider in Maharashtra.
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Once you switch your service provider you cannot switch again for the next 90 days.
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You might lose balance on prepaid cards.
In point number 3 mentioned above, Telecom companies can try to make the porting process faster and in a way that they are also not in loss during the process. As there might be certain cost incurred for the porting process, the process should be such as the Profit is more than the expense of porting for both customer and the service provider.
Overall, MNP is implemented in different ways across the globe. The International and European standard is for a customer wishing to port his/her number to contact the new network.
