 "Break-time for mobile number portability likely to be increased to 4 hours")
The break-time for porting a number to another operator’s network is likely to be increased to four hours from two hours at present.
In a recent communication, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has, in its revised draft amendment, stated that the break-time should not exceed more than four hours with the possibility to reduce further.
Earlier, Dot has questioned the authority of the Telecom regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to issue amendments to mobile number portability service providers’ permits (MNPSP). In September last year, TRAI had said that the break-time should be extended from two hours to four hours.
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Following a series of discussions, DoT has, early this month, opted for the four hour break-time. The amendment will be effective after the approval of the Communications & IT minister Kapil Sibal.
Earlier DoT has said that the two hours of break-time was put in the licence term based on TRAI recommendations and TRAI has later modified the rule without making a recommendation to the Government and its acceptance by DoT.
After the TRAI proposal for amendment, DoT has also cited a Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal judgment of 2005, to point out that the regulations issued by TRAI have to be in conformity with the licence conditions and cannot override the licence conditions. It has also referred to a Supreme Court judgment of 2011 to emphasise its point that TRAI’s powers are only recommendatory in nature.