Mobile Number Portability in India will come into effect from 1st January 2010. Irrespective of their current network provider, MNP allows the subscribers to retain their existing mobile number when they move from one service provider to another in a licensed service area. This helps to increase competition between the service providers as many people are hesitant to move from a network as that will lead to the change in their number. So once Mobile Number Portability comes into picture, many people will prefer to change their network provider as they can retain their old number.

Features of Mobile Number Portability

MNP facility will be available only within a given licensed service area and a subscriber holding a mobile number is eligible to make a porting request only after 90 days of the date of activation of his mobile connection.

The subscriber who is looking to port mobile number should pay porting charges, if any, to the Recipient Operator and should clear all the bills issued prior to the date of porting request.

A subscriber may withdraw his porting request within 24 hours of its submission to the Recipient Operator and there is a maximum time period of 4 days for the completion of porting process in all licensed service areas except in the case of J&K, Assam and North East licensed service areas where the maximum time allowed is 12 days.

Procedure to apply for Mobile Number Porting

Every subscriber should be sent a unique porting code by the recipient operator and you can use that alphanumeric code to request for your number porting. For the Prepaid users the balance amount will not be carried over to the new provider. During disconnection of current network and activation of new cellular provider there will be no service for 2 hours.