<b>Number Portability in metros by Dec 31</b>

Mobile Number Portability will be implemented from December 31 in metros and category ‘A’ service areas, and by 20th March, 2010, in rest of the country, telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said today.

The MNP facility will enable subscribers to retain their cell phone numbers even after changing service providers.

The government earlier this month had said implementation of MNP would be delayed by three months as regulations were still being made.

Issuing “Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability Regulations, 2009”, Trai said the MNP facility shall be available only within a given licensed service area.

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.

If a number is already ported once, the number can again be ported only after 90 days from the date of the previous porting. The cost to the subscriber seeking the porting is yet to be decided by Trai.

The subscriber who wishes to port his mobile number should approach the recipient operator (the operator to whom the subscriber wants to port his number). The subscriber may be required to pay porting charges, if any, to the recipient operator.

Also, the subscriber must clear all the bills issued prior to the date of porting request.