The good news on Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is that DoT has decided to grant MNP license to two service providers. The bad news is that the launch date of end-2008 for MNP has been postponed to mid-2009.

Cell phone users in the country looking forward to the launch of MNP as this will enable them to switch service providers without changing their existing mobile numbers.

The two MNP service providers will play neutral hosts connecting the operators and customers. They will function as a sort of interconnect exchange with the required infrastructure for porting calls, including a database of numbers, reports Business Standard.
Earlier, the MNP service was expected to be launched in the four metros including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai by the end of this year, but they will now have to wait till February or March 2009 as DoT plans to start operations 6 months after the licence is granted. The metros will be followed by other circles by August-September of 2009.