DoT to issue clarification to MNP bidders on Jan 22

NEW DELHI: The Department of Telecom will issue clarification to the prospective bidders' queries on the mobile number portability (MNP) on January 22.

DoT has decided to extend the date for issue of comprehensive clarifications to bidders queries by one month. The clarifications will now be released on January 22, an official statement said today.

The government had held the pre-bid conference last month and decided to issue clarifications on queries of the operators on the same.

The successful bidders would play the role of clearing- houses and database for the MNP operations.

The government plans to implement MNP roadmap in metros and category A circles by the middle of 2009, while in the rest of the country, the service is likely to start by the end of 2009.

However, the decision is likely to delay the process further.

DoT is also likely to take a decision shortly if it is in the ambit of existing norms to allow users to shift between GSM and CDMA services of the same operator before the full-fledged mobile number portability starts between two operators.