By August this year (2009), the mobile phone users will not have to get through the bothersome routine of updating every person regarding a number change in case they want to switch their service provider.

Mr. A Raja, Union Communications and IT Minister, has announced that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has decided to launch Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in India by August 2009.

Initially, the service will be introduced in the major cities, followed by other cities by the end of this year.

Mr. Raja made this announcement during the launch of BSNL’s 3G services in Chennai, India.

“The mobile number portability enabling customers to retain their old number while shifting from one operator to another would be launched in major cities by August this year,” Mr. Raja said.

Reacting to the declaration, Mr. Kuldeep Goyal, BSNL Chairman, who was also there, stated that it was really a welcome step.

Mr. Goyal also expressed hope that BSNL would get many new subscribers because of this.

DoT had already given its approval to the MNP service in November last year (2008), and said that the system would primarily be introduced in the metropolitans.

With the help of MNP, mobile phone subscribers can change their telecom service provider without altering their original numbers unlike present services, where each different network operator issues numbers unique to it.