Mobile Number Portability finally goes live today
After what has seemed an eternity, Mobile number portability will finally go live today. The MNP, which has already missed three deadlines last year, was introduced in Haryana as a pilot case in November. Since then, as the deadline approached, major player have started campaigns to woo prospective users.
Just in case you’re not informed, here’s what MNP is and is not.
- You can retain your number while moving from network to network. Or from pre-paid to post-paid. Or GSM to CDMA.
- It will cost you Rs 19.
- The whole process will take upto 4 days, during which your number stays disconnected.
- You cannot switch telecom circles with MNP (yet).
- You cannot carry over pre-paid balances.
Operators, having long held post-paid users captive by their numbers, will be forced to offer better voice/data plans or risk losing them to competing networks.