Agrarian state becomes first to implement the facility
Agrarian state becomes first to implement the facility
The freedom is finally here. The customer has been freed from the shackles of forced loyalty to telecom brands. Subscribers in Haryana are happy to draw first blood on the front of mobile number portability.
MiD DAY visited cities of Sonepat and Panipat in the agrarian state to gauge the customers' reaction.
Employees at telecom outlets told this correspondent that they are getting 20-25 queries everyday.
"People are asking about attractive offers and packages, comparing notes and asking details how could they get switch their telecom subscriber," said a staff at a Vodafone store in Panipat.
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The customers have also given thumbs up to the service, as they feel that they can now avail the best of offers across the service provider spectrum.
They are also hopeful that now with increased competition the companies would offer cheaper calls and attractive packages to them.
"I wanted to change my service provider because it was giving me network problems Also, my service provider did not have attractive Internet packages.
But the problem was that I could not have changed my number since I am a businessman and have to deal with hundreds of my clients daily. But now, it will be easy for me to avail the best of offers without changing my number," said Gaurav Malhotra, who has applied to change his service provider.
The number portability is also going to affect a large dedicated consumer base, as corporate houses have also been making inquiries about offers across networks.
"I receive about 10 calls daily from corporate users for queries on number portability. The corporate users are also excited with the scheme," confirmed a representative at an Airtel outlet at Sonepat.
A Vodafone store franchisee owner told MiD DAY that the new system would provide a level-playing field to all service providers and the customers would be able to get the best deals.
Rs 19
Processing fee
Rs 500
Security amount for postpaid subscribers
What is MNP all about?
MNP is the facility that lets a mobile phone subscriber retain his/her original mobile number even after moving from one service provider to another.
To use MNP facility, the subscriber will have to pay a non-refundable fixed charge of Rs.19. Well Rs. 19 is nothing to get rid of single bar signals and call drops!! Moreover you don't need to give out a new number to anyone, because it still remains the same!
After shifting to a new provider you need to stick with them for a minimum lock-in period of 90 days before shifting to another provider.
It sounds fair enough but can be a nightmare for you if your new operator is even worse than the previous one. So, one thing you must ensureu00a0-- Before moving your service providers, check all facets and pricing of services offered.
Exciting offers
Tata Docomo has launched a section on Mobile Number Portability. The offers include free talk-time and Free 3G services usage.
BSNL has offered free talk time of Rs. 100, and free unlimited GPRS for a month. Idea also has many attractive offers as well. (Abhishek Bachchan is busy explaining that on TV)
Whatu00a0market experts say
Fitch Ratings has said mobile number portability (MNP) is unlikely to hit operators, considering the dominant prepaid nature of the market and high churn rate, and opined that India will not behave too differently from the rest of Asia on this matter.
However, it said, MNP, which allows a subscriber to change his/her operator but retain the number, is likely to intensify competition on the postpaid front, but this segment represents only five per cent of the 600 million subscribers.
Postpaid subscribers will display a certain level of brand stickiness, and hence are unlikely to switch over because of minor reasons like pricing, considering that the differential in calling expenses will be negligible as percentage of a subscriber's disposal income, the rating agency stated.
MNP war
It is too early to claim which company has taken the lead in the MNP race but all the companies have pulled their socks to attract other customers to their network and to retain the existing one.
Tata Tele Services Ltd (TTSL) claimed they are happy with the launch of MNP as they are already MNP-ready. The company says it has been ready to launch MNP from the time it launched its CDMA and GSM (the two mobile telephony technology platforms) networks.
But the moot point is whether MNP will force operators to cut prices further, crimping profit in a market where tariffs are already the lowest in the world.
Aircel plans to attract users through stronger branding. "We have already started positioning our brand on the future of telephony. We don't think pricing can win a war.
Our aim is to gain mid- and high-value users who are currently sitting with the incumbents," said Gurdeep Singh, chief operating officer, Aircel. In fact, Idea Cellular has taken the lead in spreading awareness about MNP through a television campaign.
The advantage of MNP will be the flexibility to retain the mobile number and an improved QoS. Aditya Birla Group's Idea Cellular Ltd has already started airing the "Switch to Idea" campaign that exhorts subscribers of other networks to use their services.
Other operators are expected to follow suit in the next few weeks. "We have made substantial investment in the network, technology, processes, etc to allow mobile subscribers to switch networks and move to Idea," said senior official, Idea Cellular.
But according to the leaders, Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone Essar Ltd, portability is unlikely to shake up the industry. They expect just 5 per cent of the total subscribers to choose a different operator. Now, with MNP, operators such as Tata DoCoMo will target the high-spending post-paid users, who constitute 5 per cent of the total subscribers but account for as much as 20 per cent of the revenue.
Only 1 percent of post-paid subscribers change their service provider compared with more than 5 percent in the pre-paid segment. Airtel now has an MNP section on their website, just like the 3G section. Once Mobile Number Portability becomes available throughout the country.
6 Simple steps to change your existing Telecom Provider!
1. Send an SMS to 1900 in following format: PORTu00a0- eg. PORT 9822123456.
2. You will get an SMS reply that contains a unique porting code.
3. SMS to the preferred operator quoting the unique code. This code is valid only for a few days, and one must apply again if it expires.
4. Your existing operator will check with new operator & if there are no dues then approval will be given for porting.
5. You will get an SMS on the time and date when porting will take place. Rules mandate that process be completed within 4 days of applying.
6. After porting is complete, wait for an SMS from your new operator confirming the switch. Your phone may be dead for about 2 hours when the porting takes place.
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