Mobile Number Portability (2024)

Q 1. What is Mobile Number Portability?

A. Mobile Number Portability is a facility that allows a telecom service user to move from one operator to another operator irrespective of geographical area (e.g. Delhi to Mumbai). If a subscriber is not satisfied with the services of his current operator, he can port his mobile number to another service provider of his choice.

Q 2. What is the eligibility criterion for receiving a Unique Porting Request (UPC)?

A. Satisfying the following eligibility criteria will ensure Unique Porting Code (UPC) generation – (a) In the case of Post-Paid mobile connection, the subscriber has cleared ‘Outstanding dues’ towards the existing telecom service provider for the issued bill(s) as per normal billing cycle. (b) Activation in the present operator’s network is not less than 90 days. (c) Request for change of ownership of mobile number is not in process. (d) There are no pending contractual obligation(s) to be fulfilled by the subscriber as per the exit clause provided in the subscriber agreement. (e) The porting of the mobile number is not prohibited by the court of law. (f) The mobile number sought to be ported is not sub-judice. In case the validations of any one or more conditions (a) to (f) are negative, the request for UPC will be rejected and the reason for rejection will be provided through SMS to the subscriber.

Q 3. What is the procedure for Mobile Number Portability?

A. 1. Generate UPC at the point of sale of recipient operator. SMS the word ‘PORT’ (which shall be case-insensitive, i.e., it can be ‘port’ or ‘Port’ etc.) followed by a space and the ten-digit mobile number which is to be ported, to 1900. The UPC will be received through SMS on the mobile of the Subscriber. 2. Fill the Customer Acquisition Form (CAF) and Porting Form of the operator of your choice and mention the valid UPC. After submission of necessary payment and requisite KYC documents, collect new SIM from the operator at customer service centre/Point of Sale. You will receive a message from MNP service provider confirming the submission of your porting request along with the available withdrawal window of 24 Hours. 3. Porting within a Licensed Service Area (LSA) (e.g. porting within Gujarat LSA) takes 3 working days. The porting from one LSA to another LSA (e.g. Delhi to Mumbai) takes 5 working days. Also, in case of porting of Corporate number, Porting time is 5 working days. [there are 22 geographical regions in the country designated as LSA] Porting time in Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, and North East licensed service areas, shall be up to 15 working days. You will receive an SMS indicating the date and time for porting which is during night hours and there is no service for a maximum period of 4 hours. 4. Insert the new SIM in your phone. Post verification, your mobile number is active on the network of your new service provider.

Q 4. What are the grounds of Rejection of Porting Request?

A. For individual subscribers’ mobile numbers - the porting request submitted by the subscriber to the Recipient Operator, with valid UPC within the validity period of UPC, will not be rejected. For Corporate mobile numbers – the porting request may be rejected by his existing operator, if the porting request is not accompanied by a valid authorization letter issued by the corporate entity.

Q 5. How can a customer withdraw his porting request?

A. A subscriber may withdraw the porting request within 24 hours of submitting porting request by sending SMS to 1900. To cancel the port request, SMS ‘CANCEL’ (which shall be case-insensitive, i.e. it can be ‘cancel’ or ‘Cancel’ etc.), followed by a space and the ten-digit mobile number, whose porting request is sought to be cancelled. Also, after withdrawal, customer shall not be entitled to any refund of the porting charges paid, if any.

Q 6. What is the validity period of UPC?

A. UPC will be valid for 4 (four) days for all areas except of Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and North East, where it will remain valid for 30 days. [ For Counting validity of UPC, the day on which UPC is generated is excluded.]

Q 7. What is the limit for corporate numbers porting attached to a single Authorization letter?

A. Request for up to 100 Corporate mobile numbers can be made through a single Authorization letter.

Q 8. What are the charges to be paid for porting a mobile number?

A. The upper limit for the Per Port Transaction Charge is Rupees six and forty-six paisa only for each porting request, if asked by the operator to whom you wish to submit the request.

Q 9. Whether the subscriber will be informed about the porting process?

A.

Yes, the subscriber will be informed through SMS at every stage of porting i.e. submission of porting request, port withdrawal (if any), porting schedule, deactivation time by Donor operator and activation of SIM by new operator/RO.

Q 10. How can a telecom Subscriber get information about status of his MNP request?

A.

The subscriber will be informed through SMS at every stage of porting. The porting status may also be ascertained from the MNP Service providers in one of the following links:

URL:https://myportstatus.comfor Zone-1(North and West India) and

URL:http://www.mnpindia.in/porting-statusfor Zone 2 (South and East India)

Zone-1 Service Area

Zone-2 Service Area

Jammu & Kashmir

Karnataka

Haryana

Kerala

Punjab

Andhra Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh

Tamil Nadu

Rajasthan

Assam

Uttar Pradesh(East)

Bihar

Uttar Pradesh(West)

Odisha

Gujarat

West Bengal

Delhi

North East

Maharashtra

Madhya Pradesh

Mumbai

Kolkata

Mobile Number Portability (2024)

FAQs

Mobile Number Portability? ›

Mobile number portability (MNP) enables mobile phone users to retain a mobile telephone number when changing the mobile network operator.

Can I port my mobile number online? ›

To port mobile number online, visit the MNP page on the website and enter your area pin code and mobile number. Select a plan according to your needs and place an order to get Vi SIM delivered to your doorstep free of cost.

What are the disadvantages of mobile number portability? ›

What are the drawbacks of mobile number portability?
  • In some cases, the change in carrier actually increases call charges.
  • Customers may find it confusing and bothering to follow the process of number portability.
  • In some cases, a number stays in the not working state for more than 24 hours.
May 17, 2021

What are the rules for phone number portability? ›

While the FCC legally requires all carriers to allow you to port a number, you won't be able to port it if any of the following are true: Your new provider doesn't service your geographic area. If the company you're switching to doesn't offer service in your area, your number won't be able to be ported.

What is the time period for mobile number portability? ›

You are allowed to move to another mobile service provider only after 90 days of the date of activation of your mobile connection or from the date of last porting of your mobile number, which ever is applicable. You are allowed to change mobile service provider within the same service area only.

Can I port my SIM myself? ›

Send the following text message - PORT followed by your 10-digit mobile number to TRAI's central number for mobile number portability - 1900. Example: Send 'PORT 98xxxxxx98' to 1900. You'll receive an SMS back with a port out code which will remain valid for only 15 days.

What documents are required for mobile number portability? ›

You need a Unique Porting Code (UPC) and valid Proof of Identity (POI) and Proof of Address (POA) document such as Aadhaar, Voter ID, Passport, or Driving License.

Can a phone carrier refuse to port your number? ›

A consumer wishing to port a number should contact the prospective new carrier, who will start the process of porting by contacting the consumer's current carrier. Commission rules require carriers to port a number when they receive a valid request, and carriers may not refuse to port.

What is illegal porting of mobile numbers? ›

Phone porting fraud is when your mobile phone number is ported to a new telecommunications (telco) provider without your consent. A phone port can be initiated by providing the genuine owner's name, mobile number, email, or date of birth.

What is the rule for number portability? ›

Under the new rules, users who had to get a new SIM card owing to theft or damage and purchase a new SIM card cannot port to a new SIM card in the next 7 days. TRAI says that the new regulations were made after suggestions from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and consultations with the various stakeholders.

How do I initiate mobile number portability? ›

SMS the word 'PORT' (which shall be case-insensitive, i.e., it can be 'port' or 'Port' etc.) followed by a space and the ten-digit mobile number which is to be ported, to 1900. The UPC will be received through SMS on the mobile of the Subscriber. 2.

What to do before porting number? ›

To transfer your number, you need to provide your billing information, account details, and a letter of authorization to your new provider to initiate the porting process. You'll also need to share who your current provider is, the type of number you're looking to transfer, and how many phone numbers you want to port.

How do I know if my phone number is eligible for porting? ›

Number porting is supported by most outside carriers, but before you initiate this process you will want to confirm that your phone number is eligible for porting. You can check whether your phone number can be ported by visiting https://www.ooma.com/check-portability/.

How will I know when my phone number has been ported? ›

Your current SIM will stop working and will give Error message. Generally this will happen during midnight and it takes up to 7 days from the day of submission of CAF and giving KYC to new Service Provider. If you see SIM Error in the morning, insert the new SIM and you have just Ported In to new Service Provider.

How long does it take for a mobile number to be ported? ›

How Long Does Number Porting Take? The length of time it takes to move a number from one provider to the next depends on several factors, but the process typically takes a few days to a week. The number porting transfer is taken care of by the two carriers involved.

Can I port my number immediately? ›

Porting a number takes anywhere from 3 to 10 business days. Note this does not include weekends or holidays. As much as we wish we could, we do not have a way to expedite porting requests.

How do I port out my mobile number? ›

Quick Steps
  1. Contact your provider and ask if your phone number can be ported, but don't cancel yet.
  2. If your number can be ported, contact your new provider and sign up for a phone plan.
  3. Provide information to your new provider so they can initiate a number transfer.
  4. Wait for the transfer to complete.

How do I port my mobile number to a new provider? ›

How do I transfer my mobile number?
  1. Text your current provider to request a mobile PAC code. A PAC code should be given to you immediately over the phone or within two hours by text. ...
  2. Contact your new network and give them the PAC code. ...
  3. Check the SIM works in your phone and the new number has ported across.
Jan 2, 2024

Can I transfer my mobile number to another provider? ›

Mobile number portability lets you keep your existing mobile number when changing service providers. Taking your number to another provider is known as 'porting'. Porting means you can shop around for the best mobile rates and services without the hassle of having to change your mobile number.

Can a phone company refuse to port your number? ›

A consumer wishing to port a number should contact the prospective new carrier, who will start the process of porting by contacting the consumer's current carrier. Commission rules require carriers to port a number when they receive a valid request, and carriers may not refuse to port.

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