India has announced a timeline for the selection of a company to manage Mobile Number Portability (MNP). The tender document has been made available online, and the successful bidder will be announced by 5th February. A maximum of two companies will manage MNP for a period of 5 years, each with a separate zone of operation. From a consumer standpoint, the entire process of porting a number should not take more than two (2) working days, with a two (2) hour break in service.
Porting Process
– The mobile subscriber will approach the Recipient Operator who will initiative the entire process
– The execution of porting shall be carried out at a specified pre-determined time of the day, decided in consultation with operators.
– The total time to port should not exceed two working days initially from the request of the subscriber but up gradable to much faster levels
– Break time shall not exceed two hours, possibly less.
Areas of Operation
The country has been segmented into two zones for the selection of MNP operators – and applicants may apply for both, but will be granted a license to only one of the following Zones:
Download the tender document here. Fees, Selection Criterion, Things to do after selection
Fees
Entry Fee: One time, non-refundable, Entry Fee of Rs. 1 Crore for the licence
Licence Fees: 1 (one) percent of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) of the licensee Company. No license fee for first two years
Criterion For Selection
Applicants will be allowed foreign equity holding of 74%, but must have a minimum paid up capital of Rs. 10 crores on the date of the application, and the bidder company and equity holders shall have a combined net worth of at least Rs. 100 crores. Indian telecom operators shall not hold any equity in the selected company, nor shall companies with holdings in telecom operators be allowed.
Shareholders with equity of more than 26% in the selected company will not be allowed to dilute equity below 26% for the first 4 years. The selected company needs to have the experience of implementing and operating the MNP solution for a subscriber base of not less than 25 million mobile subscribers in one or more countries put together.
After Selection
- Equipment installation and testing
- Leased line connectivity from operator ends to MCHA and NPDB
- Operator’s end preparation for gateway switch connectivity, interfaces etc.
- Meeting with security agencies for lawful interception requirements, if any.
- Testing between operator’s (Access & long distance) end to MCHA, NPDB, NP query response system
- End to end testing between one operator to all other operators in the licensed area.
- Training to the technical persons of the operators for MCHA & NPDB, Local query NP database system functionality etc.
- Rigorous test for data synchronization between Central NPDBs and between Central NPDBs to Local NPDBs
The company needs to be ready for “Acceptance Testing” within four (4) months of award of the contract. The Company and the Operators shall, at their own costs, carry out all Acceptance Testing as laid down by TEC/DoT.
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