This document provides an overview of Mobile Number Portability (MNP), explaining its functionality, types, implementation processes, and benefits for both subscribers and telecom operators. It details the porting process, routing mechanisms, and the evolution of MNP in various countries, particularly focusing on its launch in India. The article concludes with future considerations and the importance of a centralized implementation approach to enhance customer service and promote competition among service providers.

1. Mobile Number
Portability
(MNP)
Submitted to Submitted by
Sachin Saini
1120029
CO-1
National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra

2. Contents
• Abstract
• Introduction
• History of MNP
• Types of MNP
• Porting Process
• Implementation
• MNP routing mechanisms
• NMNP(Nationwide MNP)
• Benefits of MNP
• Obligation & Restriction
• Future implementation
• Conclusion
• References

3. Abstract
• Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is an ability of changing
operator (porting) without changing the number. This
scheme provides freedom and convenience for
customers to get the best services.
• This article describes and analyses mobile number
portability and its routing mechanisms.
• This study focuses on the implementation, evaluation
and affects of MNP on various service providers in Indian
market, various aspects covering portability rate,
charges, benefits of MNP to customers and telecom
service providers, prospective effects of MNP on
telecom subscribers, future implementation for telecom
service providers etc.

5. What is MNP ??
• “Mobile Number Portability” means mobile phone
subscribers, who are not satisfied with the service of
a telephone company, can shift to another
company(Telecommunications operators) at a cost
as little as Rs.19 while retaining the same number.
This principle is also known as operator portability or
service provider portability.
• Number portability is a network function that allows
a subscriber to keep a “unique” telephone number.

6. History
Country Year of implementation
Singapore June 13,1997
Hong Kong March 01,1999
Australia September 25,2001
Italy April 01,2002
Germany November 01,2002
France June 30,2003
USA November 24,2003
Saudi Arabia July 08,2006
South Africa November 10,2006
Canada March 14,2007
Pakistan March 23,2007
New Zealand April 01,2007
Mexico July 05,2008
Brazil September 01,2008
India January 20,2011(MNP)
[ 3rd July, 2015 (NMNP)]

7. Types of MNP
There are three number portability services :-
• Service portability
• Location portability
• Operator portability
Location
service
operator

8. Description
• Service Portability a subscriber may keep the same
telephone number when changing
telecommunication services.(prepaid to postpaid)
• Location Portability a subscriber may move from
one location to another without changing his/her
telephone number. In this case, a given telephone
number could be associated with any network
termination device independent of
location.(Haryana to Bangalore)
• Operator Portability a subscriber may switch
telecom operators without changing his/her
telephone number(Vodafone to Airtel)

9. Porting Procedure
Recipient Service
Provider(new)Donor Service
Provider(old)
Subscriber
(person)
Dealer
1
2
request
port request
Issue Unique porting code (UPC)
Approach with
UPC
respond to
port request
Inform &
Negotiate
3
4
5
6
7
request response

10. Example
For example, You want to port from Airtel to Vodafone
• Step-1 - Obtain a Customer Agreement Form (CAF) & Porting
Form from Vodafone, these can be obtained from
any Vodafone store.
• Step-2 - Obtain your Unique Porting Code(UPC) by sending an
SMS from the mobile number you want to port to the number
1900 with text message starting "PORT" followed by a space,
followed by your 10 digit mobile phone number.
E.g. "PORT 9876543210“.
• Step-3 - Complete the Customer Acquisition Form and Porting
Form. Remember to enter the Unique Porting Code (UPC)
code correctly on the Porting from. (UPC is valid for 15 days).
• Step-4 - Submit the completed Porting Form and Customer
Acquisition Form along with requisite documentary proof of
the mobile service provider to your new provider Vodafone.

11. Continue...
• Step-5 - You will be given a new SIM card from
Vodafone, after paying Rs. 19
• Step-6 - Vodafone will give you a porting date
(usually within 7 days)
• Step-7 - Replace the old SIM with the new SIM
provided by Vodafone, your new mobile phone
service provider, after the specified porting date
and time.
• Step-8 - You're done. You switched to Vodafone
and kept your number!
Note- For more information, visit- http://www.mnp.in/.

12. Functionality
1. Local databases of Ported Numbers
• LDB is an active database, which is located near
the operator and contains necessary information for
routing calls to ported numbers, and therefore it is
used in real time when the call begins.
• Each operator have their own LDB.

13. 2. Central Administrative Databases of Ported number
• CADB is a database that records the status of each
transaction during the number portability.
• Contains the information necessary to route calls to
ported numbers by which it regularly updates LDBs.
• It take care of the network update and administration
message flow between the various operators.
• CRDB can be active or passive:
Active: Store, distribute and validate message
Passive: Store only.
• CADB contains a list of ported numbers, area codes,
name of donor and recipient operator, dates of porting,
information on the status of number
portability(accepted, rejected, delayed) .

14. Implementation
Two issues to be considered in implementing number
portability:
• Number Porting Process
• Call Routing Mechanism

15. Number porting process
It involves a set of parties, which includes donor, recipient
and many participants.
• The basic requirement of the porting process is that a
subscriber needs to initiate a request to the service
provider.
• The request can be initiated to either of the service
providers.
There are two approaches by which the number porting
database can be maintained and implemented.
1. Peer-to-Peer approach.
2. Centralized approach.

16. 1. Peer to Peer Approach
• In this approach, there is a
bilateral agreement between
two service providers.
• With this non-standard
approach, there can be
multiple commercial
agreements between the
service providers, which make
it difficult to manage the terms
of each agreement, and track
the porting requests.
• This approach is very complex,
and the complexity is further
increased with increasing
number of service providers

17. 2.Centralized Approach
• In this approach, the
regulatory authority of the
country sets up the guidelines,
policies and processes for
number portability.
• All the service providers in the
country have a shared and
well-defined interface with a
centralized Number Portability
(NP) administration centre for
processing the porting request
of a number.
• This adheres to a clear set of
service level agreements for
each of the steps involved in
the process and it is
mandatory for the service
providers to follow them.

18. Call Routing Mechanism
There are two types of routing :
1)Direct routing
2)Indirect routing

19. 1. Onward Routing
Originating network connects to the donor network. It
detects dialed number has been ported out of donor
switch, then donor network itself routes the call to the
recipient network

20. 2. Call-drop back
The originating network connects to donor network which
detects that the dialed dir.- no. has been ported out from
donor switch and check with its LDB which returns the routing
no. and then donor network release the call by providing the
routing no. which is used to route the call to recipient.

21. 3. Query-On release
The originating network first check the status of the dialled
number with the donor network that return a message
identifying whether the no. has been ported out. The O.N.
queries the CADB to obtain information regarding the
recipient network and route the call directly to recipient
network.

22. 4. All-Call query
The originating network first checks the location of the
dialled number in the central database and then routes
the call directly to the recipient network (the network
where a number is located after being ported).

23. Comparison of Routing Mechanism
• All Call Query (ACQ) scheme is the most efficient in
terms of using network resources.
The advantages of using ACQ to implement number
portability are:
• No dependency on other network for routing the call.
• Easy billing for calls to the ported numbers.
• Call set-up time for calls to ported numbers is minimal.
• Minimal impact on signalling.
• Impact on network complexity is very less.
Whereas, other Routing mechanisms like onward routing,
call drop back and query on release is :
• Dependant on other network for routing the call.
• Network is complex and time consuming.

24. Signaling Relay
It helps MNOs and MVNOs meet mobile number
portability (MNP) requirements, by routing queries from
GMSC platforms to the appropriate HLR.
The SRF validates enquiries
from the GMSC and relays
the query to the HLR. When
the appropriate response is
obtained, this is returned to
the GMSC, enabling onward
routing of the signalling with
the correct Routing Number
(RN). Alternatively, a Mobile
Station Routing Number
(MSRN) may be provided.

25. Nationwide MNP
After several delays, telecoms across India have now
launched nationwide mobile number portability
(NMNP). Private mobile operators like Airtel,
Vodafone, R-Com, Idea Cellular, and Uninor as well as
state-run MTNL and BSNL issued statements on July 3rd
,2015.
• Nationwide mobile number portability means,
subscribers can switch to any telecom circle in their
country while retaining the same number.
• The process for full MNP is the same as intra-city
mobile number portability.

26. Benefits
To Subscriber :
• Free mobility from one service provider to another,
without changing the mobile number.
• Price competition if the market is competitive.
• Improvement in quality of service and product
innovation due to Competition among service
providers.
• Many value-added services may be offered by
service providers to attract customers, either free or
at low costs.

27. Continue…
To Telecom Operator :
• It provides a fair chance to all the service providers.
• Player with better quality of service and innovative
products can sustain in the long term.
• It can be one of the major reasons for the industry
to go for corporate restructuring.

28. Obligation & Restriction
Recipient and donor operators are responsible for the
entire process of porting,
• Proper adjustment of their electronic communications
networks, systems and services to ensure that the porting
does not impair the quality of existing services.
• The setting up, development, testing, maintenance
and management of CADB.
• The user can’t cancel the porting once recipient has
submitted a request to donor operator.
• Also, after the number has been ported, the same
subscriber cannot require new porting for that number for a
period shorter than three months from the date of porting.

29. Problem for User
• The switching from one operator to another requires
you, to pay Rs.19
• You still have to follow the same old procedure of
going to a shop, getting a new SIM .
• It takes time for the switch to take place.(4-6 days)
• Balance and other value added services will be
lapse on previous card after porting.

30. Future Implementation
• Not loosing balance on prepaid cards.
• Changing from CDMA-to-GSM or vice-versa without
change in handset.
• If the customer has extra services, like caller tune, GPRS,
voice mail and others alike, then these services will not
be loss.
• The success of the implementation of MNP would
depend on a number of factors including :
Porting Time
Porting Fees
Better Price Deals

31. Conclusion
• To implement number portability, the best solution is to
implement the centralized system, maintain a common
number porting database, and use the All Call Query
(ACQ) call routing scheme to route the calls to a ported
number.
• Also service provider has to be competitive to attract
the customer.
• This will encourage competition among the service
providers, and in turn will reduce the tariff.
• From subscribers point of view, it should reduces cost,
time and money.
• From service providers point of view, specific network
maintenance activities need to be done to ensure
proper operation of the number portability service over
time.

32. References
• Yi-Bing Lin, “Mobile Number Portability”, IEEE-Network.
• Suresh A.S, “MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY –
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES”, IEEE-Network.
• “Introducing fixed-mobile number portability – Croatian
case”, IEEE- Network.
• Moch Fahru Rizal, ST. MT., “Techno-Economic and
Regulation Impact Analysis of Mobile Number Portability
Implementation”, IEEE-Network.
• Rajeev Ranjan Kumar, Amrita Singh, A. Damodaram,
“Phone Number Portability in GSM networks”, CSI Vol. 32,
Issue-7, Oct.2008.
• “MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY”- Wikipedia, Google
advanced search.

33. Thank you…!!!