Telecom Regulatory authority of India, TRAI has announced new Mobile Number Portability Fee that is going to effective from September 30, 2019. Before, revealing the new Mobile Number Portability Fee, let me first explain you How Mobile Number Portability Fee is charged between Telecom Operators and MNP Service Providers.
First and the foremost, Mobile Number Portability is a process to switch between different Telecom Operators in the country without changing the Mobile Number.
Earlier in India, A user can port his/her mobile number by generating a Unique Porting Code by sending an SMS to their existing Telecom Service Provider. Telecom provider on the other hand charge Rs. 3 to Rs. 5 for generating a porting code. Once the user generate a porting code, he/she have to provide the code to the recipient Telecom Operator. The Recipient Telecom operator then contact the donor operator (by providing the porting code) to complete the porting request. However, back on August 1, 2008, Department of Telecommunication introduced a new framework that give birth to two MNP Service provider in the country called Syniverse Technologies and MNP Interconnection Telecom Solutions.
The Function of these two MNP service provider is to manage the porting request between Telecom Operators and also collecting the porting fee. In the new framework, customers have to pay the porting fee of Rs. 3 to Rs. 5 like they do earlier. However, now the recipient Telecom operator also have to pay the porting fee of Rs. 19 to the MNP Service provider. But, From September 30, 2019, TRAI is going to reduce this porting fee to Rs. 5.74. So, you see this decision directly benefit some telecom providers in the country.
Taking historical reference, Last year, TRAI reduced the porting fee to Rs. 4 from Rs. 19. But, Syniverse Technologies filed a case in Delhi High Court and the decision comes in favour of them in March this year. From then on they charge Rs. 19 for every porting request.
However, In July this year, Reliance Jio filed a case in the Apex Court to regulate the porting fee and Supreme Court draws the decision in favour of Reliance Jio. Hence, now from September 30, 2019, the new porting fee is going to be Rs. 5.74.