In a step forward to introduce mobile number portability, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will set up a steering committee of operators, industry associations and Telecom Engineering Centre.The steering committee, under the aegis of Trai, will address issues involved in the implementation of mobile number portability with special reference to the methodology, establishing a neutral third party for database management, level of centralisation of database in terms of national versus regional set up, time frame of implementation and other issues, Trai said in a statement today.Mobile number portability will enable users to retain their telephone numbers when they change the service provider. The committee would also discuss issues relating to time taken for porting a number and porting fees. The government had announced the plan last month to introduce mobile number portability in the first phase in the four metros - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai - by the fourth quarter of 2008, Trai said, adding that the introduction of the system for 'A' circles would be reviewed in April 2008. Immediately after the announcement of the government decision, GSM-based mobile operators had opposed the move demanding that it should be implemented simultaneously across all services and circles.According to Trai, mobile number portability requires the originating network to determine the correct destination for a given number, and this would require database management having information of the networks and associated ported numbers.Majority of the countries opt for a centralised database service managed by a neutral third party, and the cost of the database is to be borne by each operator depending on the strength of the subscribers.There has to be an arrangement for a centralised clearing house, preferably an electronic approach for processing porting requests, Trai said in the statement. The other related issues are handset portability (GSM or CDMA), database updates, SMS routing, routing of STD and ISD calls and national numbering plan modification. "The roadmap to MNP requires co-operation of all the stakeholders," the regulator said.
