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

How many days it will take for mobile number portability? ›

Receive a new SIM card from the store operator and get a confirmation message for your porting request. The porting process typically takes 4-5 days. Porting within the same Licensed Service Area (LSA) takes 3 working days, while porting between different LSAs or corporate numbers may take up to 5 working days.

What to do if a porting request is rejected? ›

To resolve this rejection, please contact your service provider and request a CSR (Customer Service Record) or provide detailed directions on how to port the number away. You can learn more about the importance of obtaining a CSR from your current carrier here.

What are the rules for mobile number portability? ›

As per the latest amendment, the telecom regulator says that if a SIM card has been swapped or replaced, the associated mobile number cannot be ported out to a different telecom operator for seven days.

Why is MNP rejected? ›

The number is not registered in subscriber's name. The number is not active at the current provider. The number is active less than 90 days at the current provider. The number is the subject of a legal issue between the subscriber and the current provider.

How to know if porting is complete? ›

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.

Why is porting number taking so long? ›

Missing documentation is one of the biggest reasons for port delays. The transfer process has several required documents that must be filled out prior to the number transfer. Due to FCC mandates, it's important to get these documents to your provider ASAP.

How will I know that my porting request has been successful? ›

Push Notification: You'll receive a quick notification letting you know the status of the port, and any next steps to take based on the outcome of your request.

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 are the disadvantages of porting a number? ›

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 is required for 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. Alternatively, you can also use the eKYC facility.

Can I use my phone while my number is being ported? ›

The good news is that while the port is taking place, you're still able to use your phone number. Just make sure not to cancel the service with your old provider while the port is in process. What do I need to transfer my phone number?

What are the benefits of mobile number portability? ›

Benefits of MNP

You can switch operators without incurring any expense, adhering to the established SIM port rules. You can enjoy the convenience of retaining the same mobile number while transitioning between operators. Upon switching, you are provided with a new SIM card of the desired size.

Can a porting request be Cancelled? ›

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.

How long does the porting process take? ›

The industry average for porting a number is 7 to 10 days. The actual time it takes is dependent on a few factors. In this article, you will learn how porting a number works, and what can stall the process when porting your number to Smith.ai.

What is the minimum porting time? ›

Officially, it takes around 4 working days for the completion of Mobile Number Portability.

How long does porting a number usually take? ›

There are a few things that have to happen to move your number from one carrier to another (this is called a port), and the elapsed time may vary depending on how quickly your current provider processes the port. On average, ports take 7-10 days to complete; however, they can take up to 4 weeks in rare cases.

How long does it take for portability? ›

For people who have requested to port mobile number, it generally takes: 3 working days: Within the same Licensed Service Area (LSA) 5 working days: To another LSA or Circle.

Why does it take 3 days to port my number? ›

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.

How long does it take for a number port to complete? ›

Transferring your phone number to a different provider is not something you can do instantly. In most cases, it takes between 5-7 business days to port a phone number from one provider to another. Number porting time depends on the complexity of the request, the type of number being ported, and your existing carrier.

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