MNP service providers plan to recover Rs 120 crore from telecos

Kolkata: Mobile number portability (MNP) service providers MNP Interconnection Telecom Solutions India and Syniverse Technologies India is set to amp up efforts to recover around Rs 120 crore from telecom companies. The move comes after the Delhi High Court dismissed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) decision to reduce a key porting charge by 80 percent more than a year ago.

Syniverse managing director (India, Middle East and Africa), Himanshu Goel, said the service provider will begin recovering arrears retrospectively from February 2018 via talks with TRAI and telcos. With service providers still evaluating their dues, industry estimates mark them at around Rs 120 crore, including costs in relation to unsuccessful ports from February last year.

In January last year, TRAI slashed per port transaction fee from Rs 19 to Rs 4, affecting the revenue flows of both the MNP service providers and leading them to move court. Later, saying it is illegal and unsustainable, the High Court rejected the regulator's regulation.

MNP facility

The MNP facility enables a user to switch telco operators by making no change in the mobile number. To process the request, the recipient operator pays a fee to the MNP service provider. MNP was first rolled out in November 2010 in the country. Approximately 412 million subscribers have availed of the facility as of December, TRAI said in a consultation paper on February 22. The authority is looking to evaluate per port transaction and other MNP-related expenses.

TRAI secretary Sunil Gupta said TRAI "would examine the (court) order before making any comments."