Mobile number portability to kick off in February

Mobile number portability just got hotter. From February next year, you can transfer your number with you anywhere in India for a small fee.

Mobile number portability just got hotter. From February next year, you can transfer your number with you anywhere in India for a small fee.

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This is good news for the 900-million-plus mobile telephone subscribers in India because they can change their operators while retaining their numbers even if they shift from one state to another.

Communications and IT minister Kapil Sibal said on Thursday that nationwide Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is expected to be rolled out by February.

Currently, MNP allows a subscriber to change his operator only within a circle. To shift to a new service provider, a consumer has to contact the new operator, possibly through a website, and fill in a form. The form requires a code that one can get by sending an SMS to 1900 writing "Port" followed by the mobile number from the same phone number. As per TRAI guidelines, the change of operator will take place in seven days.