India’s MNP solution tender delayed until February 5

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has deferred the tender for mobile number portability (MNP) solutions by one month, with bids to open on February 5.

When MNP is introduced in June, consumers will be able to switch between the more than 10 mobile operators, while still retaining their original phone number 

Bidders will provide the clearinghouses through which mobile numbers can be ported from one operator to another.

DoT has scheduled MNP to commence in June this year in the metro and category A telecoms circles, with the service extended to the rest of the country by year-end.

The Telecom Regulatory of Authority India (TRAI) first proposed MNP in March 2006, with a view to it being offered to consumers by April 2007, however, DoT rejected the initial proposal.

DoT is expected to make a decision soon on whether MNP will be allowed between subscribers shifting between GSM and CDMA technologies within the same operator, referred to as ‘intra-operator portability’.

Both Tata Communications and Reliance Communications have GSM and CDMA operations. Reliance launched its GSM service this week, while Tata is yet to commence commercial GSM services.

It is reported that Tata and several GSM operators are not in favour of intra-operator portability.