TRAI revises rules, makes number portability a two-day process
What's the story
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has introduced a new set of rules to expedite the process of mobile number portability (MNP) in the country. The authority has revised the timeline for switching from one operator to another, making the whole process faster and easier than ever. It has even announced some penalties in case of 'wrongful rejection' of MNP requests. Here's more.
Consumer rules
Shorter porting timeline for consumer mobile connections
According to the new set of regulations, telcos will have to process MNP requests for the same circle in just two working days. Meanwhile, those willing to port their number from one to another circle will have their request processed in a maximum of four days. Previously, intra and inter-circle MNP requests required at least 7 and 15 days to be processed.
UPC validity
Also, you'll have less time to initiate a porting request
Along with this, TRAI has also changed the validity of Unique Porting Code (UPC) required for initiating an MNP request to 4 days. Previously, this code used to remain valid for 15 days, giving customers a wider window to get their number ported. But now, it will expire in four days, following which the user would have to generate the code again for MNP.
Information
UPC validity remains unchanged for select circles
It is important to note that the validity of Unique Porting Code has been changed for all circles except Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, and North East. There, UPC validity continues to remain 15 days. Also, customers can withdraw their MNP request with a single message.
Details
Rules for porting corporate connections
In the same notice, TRAI has also noted that the timeline for processing porting requests for corporate mobile connections will be four days. The authority has also increased the limit of corporate porting from 50 to 100 numbers per authorization letter. This will certainly make corporate connection portability faster and more seamless.
Penalties
Financial disincentives for 'contravention' of MNP regulations
TRAI has also defined certain penalties to punish telcos for flouting the newly defined MNP regulations. As part of this, the authority will impose a fine of Rs. 10,000 on telcos in case of wrongful rejection of MNP requests. And, if they have not shared customer details with Mobile Number Portability Service Provider within 24-hours of MNP request initiation, they'll be fined Rs. 5,000.