New Delhi:
In a bid to combat fraudulent activities related to SIM swapping, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has introduced significant changes to the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) regulations.
Effective from July 1, the new rules mandate a seven-day waiting period for porting a mobile number associated with a SIM card that has been recently swapped or changed.
This move aims to curb fraudulent practices and enhance the security of mobile number porting.
Preventing Fraudulent Porting
Under the revamped rules, mobile subscribers will be restricted from porting their numbers to a different telecom operator,
if they have swapped or changed their SIM card within the last seven days.
TRAI emphasized that these measures are designed to prevent unauthorized porting of mobile numbers via fraudulent SIM swaps.
Additionally, TRAI has imposed an additional condition for rejecting requests for Unique Porting Codes (UPCs) to transfer numbers between telecom operators.
How MNP Works
Mobile Number Portability allows users to switch their telecom operator while retaining their existing mobile number.
To initiate the process, subscribers need to send an SMS to 1900 with the message “PORT <10 digit mobile number>”.
Upon receiving a UPC (Unique Porting Code),
users can request MNP and switch operators seamlessly.
Rising Telecom Subscribers
The telecom subscriber base has been witnessing a steady increase, reaching 119 crore in December last year.
Major players like Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have experienced growth in their subscriber counts, while Vodafone Idea witnessed a slight decline.
TRAI remains vigilant in addressing challenges such as call drops and is considering implementing stricter regulations to address these issues.
