The number game

New Delhi, July 31: Telecom operators will oppose the move to enable subscribers to switch between services, locations or operators while retaining the original telephone number.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had came out with a consultation paper on mobile number portability seeking operators' comments by August 30.

Mobile operators feel that even a consultation on the issue is unwarranted when interconnection between operators is still unresolved.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI) have strongly opposed the consultation process initiated by Trai.

COAI director-general T.V. Ramachandran said, “It is an unnecessary exercise. The regulator needs to help improve the sector by addressing critical issues like interconnection and spectrum availability at the earliest.”

“The regulator wants to bring in more competition to benefit consumers through the consultation process. But competition already exists with 6-8 players offering lower tariffs than most countries,” said Ramachandran.

He pointed out that the cost of service would automatically go up since the operators have to make an additional investment to upgrade the network.

“India is not a mature market for number portability like the US. Issues like connectivity and access deficit charge need to be addressed before number portability can be discussed. We would point these out in our response,” said Ramachandran.

The COAI is an apex body of cellular operators using the global system for mobile communications (GSM), while the AUSPI represents firms using the code division multiple access (CDMA) technology.

AUSPI secretary-general S.C. Khanna said, “There is no need for number portability in India. The operators have other commitments like reaching out to rural areas. Bharti and Reliance have already committed to expanding their network in rural areas and that would require a major investment.”

“It is a myth that number portability will benefit the consumers. It will benefit only the affluent customers. Unless we offer services to rural areas and increase the teledensity, number portability will have no meaning,” said Khanna.