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| S.No. |
Types |
What is it? |
| 1. |
Operator Portability |
The ability of a subscriber to retain within the same service area, an existing telephone number even if they change from one service provider / operator to another. This type of portability is for the same service, i.e., fixed to fixed, or mobile-to-mobile. |
| a) |
Fixed Number Portability (FNP) |
The ability of a subscriber to retain the existing fixed telephone numbers when changing from one fixed network operator to another fixed network operator. It is the portability of fixed geographic numbers. |
| b) |
Mobile Number Portability (MNP) |
The ability of a subscriber to retain an existing telephone number when changing from one physical location to another and from one mobile network to another. |
| c) |
Intelligent Number Portability (INP) |
The ability of a subscriber to retain the existing telephone number when changing from one service to another service, say from fixed to mobile services. |
| 2. |
Location Portability |
The ability of a subscriber to retain an existing telephone number when changing from one physical location to another. |
| 3. |
Service Portability |
The ability of a subscriber to retain the existing telephone number when changing from one service to another service, say from fixed to mobile services. |
(Source: http://www.trai.gov.in)
The market size is appropriate to throw up implementation risks and additional costs in manageable proportions. The technological challenges incumbent in such a scheme exclude portability in fixed lines. In many international markets, it was introduced with the hope of more competition but the real effect is another case of hype exceeding expectations. In three big markets like UK, Australia and US, only 1.5%, 0.82%, 0.25% users ported their numbers. Under total number portability, the same number can be used across different technologies, overcoming geographical barriers.
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* Contributed by -
Prabhat Jindal,
MBA - Class of 2007,
ICFAI Business School, Kolkata.
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