NEW DELHI: Following the complaint from Reliance Jio and NGO Telecom Watchdog that Vodafone Idea new prepaid plans do not allow users to port easily, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday directed all the telecom service providers to comply with TRAl’s regulations in respect of outgoing SMS facility to porting out customers.
The regulator said it is contravention of Mobile Number Portability Regulations as it takes away the consumer’s right to avail mobile number portability facility.
“The authority… hereby directs all access service providers to enable, with immediate effect, for all mobile subscribers, both prepaid and postpaid, requesting for a unique porting code, the facility to send SMS on short code 1900, in order to exercise their right to avail porting facility in accordance with the Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability Regulations, 2009 (8 of 2009}, irrespective of the value of the tariff offers/vouchers,” said the regulator in a notification.
Last month, the telcos increased their tariff up to 25% to improve its average revenue per user (ARPU). Vodafone Idea has hiked its entry-level plan of Rs 75 to Rs 99 for 28 days validity. However, this plan is not bundled with SMS service. Therefore, any users who want to opt for porting, will have to choose a higher priced plan around Rs 180 to get access to SMS services. Subsequently, Reliance Jio and NGO Telecom Watchdog have written to the TRAI, highlighting Vodafone Idea’s new tariff structure that is restricting the entry-level customers to port their mobile number.
“In the recent past, the authority has received various complaints from subscribers for not being able to send SMS on short code 1900, specified for UPC generation for availing MNP facility despite having sufficient balance in their prepaid accounts,” said the TRAI. To port from one network to another, a user has to send a short message on 1900. As per the TRAI rules, such SMS shall not exceed the tariff applicable for ordinary SMS under the tariff plan opted by the subscribers.
Around 10.10 million subscribers submitted their MNP requests with their respective carriers in September, increasing their cumulative porting requests to 638.25 million.