Mobile Number Portability in India from Today

Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is the service by which you can migrate from one mobile operator to another without changing your mobile number. For example, you can opt for Vodafone service from your Airtel number or vice-versa. MNP is becoming operational pan-India from today, 20 January 2011.

Some important facts about Mobile Number Portability.

• For porting your mobile number, first you’ve to get your unique porting code (UPC) from your existing service provider. For this you’ve to SMS PORT Your Mobile Number to 1900.

• Your existing operator will send you the 8 digit alpha-numeric UPC from the number 1901 as an SMS (the UPC will be valid only for 24 hours).

• Then you need to approach the new service provider you want to migrate to with this UPC and relevant documents required for starting a new connection.

• After consulting with your existing operator, the new operator will move your number within 4 days (maximum).

• Porting charge is a maximum of Rs.19.

• Till the porting process is over you can use the service of the existing operator.

• The date and time of the completion of the porting process will be intimated to you through SMS.

• Your number will remain dead for about 2 hours just before the porting gets completed. But this downtime of 2 hours would be between 10PM and 5AM IST, so that there is less inconvenience to you.

• After this time you can use your new Sim card and you will start getting the services of your new operator.

• Once you use MNP service to change your operator, you can use it a second time only after 90 days.

• During porting, you will lose your remaining balance talk-time amount in the case of pre-paid connections.

• You can use MNP service only within a telecom circle.

• You can also migrate from your post-paid connection to a new pre-paid connection. But this is possible only after you clear all pending dues with your current operator.

• You can migrate from CDMA connection to GSM connection and vice versa. However your existing mobile phone will be rendered useless if you opt to migrate from CDMA to GSM.

As there is cut-throat competition in the telecom sector in India you can expect to receive freebies from your new operator once you use MNP service. Make the MNP decision after a thorough contemplation and choose your new telecom operator wisely.