One of the most frequent definitions that prevails in the telecom circles for
number portability is: "Number portability is a circuit-switch
telecommunications network feature that enables end users to retain their
telephone numbers when changing service providers, service types, and or
locations."
Why wireless number portability (WNP)? When fully implemented nationwide by
both wireline and wireless providers, portability will remove one of the most
significant deterrents to changing service, providing unprecedented convenience
for consumers and encouraging unrestrained competition in the telecommunications
industry. In short, this is the best method to increase the efficiency of the
service provider by increasing the competition, thereby ensuring better services
in all respects.
From the subscribers’ perspective, this is a deceptively simple and very
welcome change, because they can change wireless service providers without
worrying about notifying friends, family and business contacts that their
wireless number is changing. In addition, being able to ‘port’ a number from
one provider to another eliminates the hassle and expenses of changing business
cards, stationery, invoices and other materials for businesses.
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From the wireless carrier’s perspective the change is anything, but simple.
Virtually all of wireless carriers’ systems are affected. Especially any
system that relies on mobile identity numbers (MINs) or mobile directory numbers
(MDNs) will be affected. Examples of critical systems and processes that would
be affected are: billing, customer service, order activation, call delivery,
roamer registration and support, short messages service center, directory
assistance, caller ID, calling name presentation, switches, maintenance and CSC
systems, home location registers (HLRs), and visiting location registers (VLRs).
The Inhibitors
Huge Costs: One of the most common barriers in WNP implementation, within
any country, has been the implementation cost. Service Providers have been
constantly bargaining for time, based on the cost factor, from their respective
governments. Referring to the recent example of the US, where each of the large
carriers would need to spend $50—60 million to institute the service and an
equivalent sum to maintain it. The FCC on this plea gave wireless carriers in
the US another year, i.e., till November 2003, for resolving implementation
issues. The experience of developed countries exhibits that local number
portability for fixed wireline was introduced within two to three years of
introduction of competition to incumbent state telcos. The cost estimate for the
implementation of WNP in developed nations like the US can be very helpful for
the other countries, who wish to think on the lines of number portability. To
add on increased marketing costs are to be realized as the carriers look to lock
up their current base before number portability is implemented, and then
aggressively pursue the customers of other carriers thereafter.
Customer Retention/Increased Competition: Every subscriber in a race
to retain its customer would like to offer its customers best services so as to
save them from porting. It’s like a blessing in disguise for the customers, as
they would get better service irrespective of the carrier, albeit with the same
number.
Infrastructure Upgrade: To support WNP, a company has to upgrade both
its hardware and software capabilities, which will amount to some cost.
Softwares need to be upgraded to provide proper routing of calls. The carriers
need to upgrade their networks to handle portability requests. The provider,
which has its portability compatible would be expected to attract maximum
customers and will emerge the winner.
Cost Recovery and Bill Reconciliation/Query Processing: When a
customer plans to shift, the old service provider (OSP) has to perform a query
to identify if there are any billing amounts pending, which they need to recover
before the subscriber moves to the new service provider (NSP).
Implementing NP
Let us look at some of the basic terminologies used in any porting process:
NSP: It is the recipient carrier i.e., the new service provider to
which the subscriber wishes to subscribe to.
OSP: And the donor carrier is the old service provider, which the
subscriber wishes to leave.
NPAC: Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC), the authority
responsible for maintaining NP solutions in different regions.
Both the OSP and NSP carriers will have access to their own wireless network,
order entry and point of sale terminals. Further, the two competing carriers’
WNP architectures will be connected at two points:
- Intercarrier communications process (ICP)
- Number portability administration center (NPAC).
Let us look at the steps of the porting process.
-
When the NSP wins the business of one of the subscribers
of any other service provider, it enters porting information into its
operations support system (OSS), at the point of sale (POS like retail
store, affiliate retailer, Web, etc.) -
Next, a wireless port request (WPR) is sent from the NSP
to the OSP via the inter-carrier communications process (ICP). -
A wireless port request response (WPRR) is returned from
the OSP to the NSP via the ICP. The OSP can use the WPRR to delay the port,
request further information from the NSP, or confirm the port request’s
details. Note that the NSP should not port the number if it does not receive
a wireless port response from the OSP. Also note, that the OSP doesn’t ‘approve’
the port. They have no right to deny the port if it is properly formatted
and contains the right data. -
They can merely tell the NSP that something is wrong with
the request. -
The NSP’s OSS provisioning system feeds the porting
information to a LSOA system. Ideally, the ICC process and LSOA process
should be integrated with the POS system so data does not have to be
re-keyed at various stages in the porting process. This will save money and
increase accuracy. -
The NSP’s LSOA forwards a porting Subscription Create
Request to the NPAC, specifying the date and time when porting should occur. -
The NPAC sends a notification of the porting request to
the OSP’s LSOA. This starts a two-hour timer at the NPAC. The OSP has one
hour to respond. Then the NSP has another hour to activate the subscription
request. -
The OSP’s LSOA informs its OSS of the porting request,
including the date/time to stop billing the number. -
The OSP’s LSOA notifies the NPAC that it has received
the porting request and confirms the date and time of the change. -
The NPAC notifies the NSP that the OSP has acknowledged
the request and confirmed the date and time and other arrangements. If the
OSP does not respond, the NPAC assumes the OSP is agreeing to the porting
request. -
The NSP sends a porting activation request to the NPAC.
-
The NPAC’s LSOA then sends the information to its SMS,
which broadcasts it to all of the LSMSs operating in the region so the
number and the LRN of the NSP is available the next time the number is
dialed. The number is now ported!
Indian Telecom Scenario
India has one of the fastest growing telecommunication systems in the world
with a huge system size in terms of total connections. The whole
telecommunication system has grown largely in last five years and is expected to
grow further at a record combined annual growth rate of 13.42 percent in the
next five years. This growth is despite the fact that there is an overall
slowdown in the world telecom market.
During the next five years, the tele-density (telephone per 100 population)
in India is expected to cross 10 percent with the ongoing aggressive push of
communication facilities by both private and incumbent operators. The overall
Indian telecom industry is expected to touch $24 billion by 2006. Several
countries have just one single technology, but our Indian telecom system
currently offers multiple technologies, i.e., GSM and CDMA. There are
technologies pouring like software radio, which permits a handset to switch
across GSM, CDMA but till date it is not a very mature stuff.
The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) until 1994 was the only telecom
provider in the country. With the deregulation of this sector, various private
players have come in and improved not only the services but also cut down on
costs. Telecom bandwidth issues have also been addressed. Many private ISPs have
come in this sector and telecom costs have dropped by 85 percent in three years.
Reliance Infocomm’s entry to Indian telecom map is expected to increase the
country’s tele-density from 4 percent to 4.5-7 percent within a year of its
launch. The $5.2 billion telecom project is based on the idea of making services
affordable and accessible to all.
WNP in India: TRAI’s Role
Experiences from various countries confirm the fact that local number
portability for fixed wireline should be introduced first. Within a span of next
two to three years WNP should be implemented in different regions by different
telecom companies. Currently, we do not have number portability for fixed line
subscribers in India.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) needs to give serious thought to
it, if it has to think largely in the customer interest. If we study minutely,
BSNL and MTNL offer location portability through universal number service but
due to heavy tarrifs associated with it, normal customers benefit from it. The
growth in the Indian telecom market suggests that to ensure a healthy
competition number portability regulations are a must for maximum customer
benefit. In short, TRAI needs to take up such activities largely in the customer
interest.
One of the very crucial factors for the Indian scenario is that we do not
have a single agency, like NPAC, to administer complete phone numbers centrally,
which might be a major issue for WNP implementation in India. A critical lesson
about the time taken should be learnt from the US implementation of WNP–it
took them seven years to have WNP into action. We in India should move slowly
and plan well and commence with bringing landline portability first.
Praveen Kankariya, president and CEO, Impetus Technologies
US after WNP
The US is going through a phase of change in the telecom circle after the
implementation of WNP. Subscribers are shifting providers to gain maximum
benefits, but the current trends show slow shifting by customers. The
infrastructure availability both in terms of hardware and software for WNP is
coming in place slowly. A few problems were reported because of heavy load when
NP came into effect. This is now changing and the US might have a complete
portable environment in 2004.
The FCC mandate for number portability includes a few restrictions and a
time-line for implementation. Briefly, subscribers with billing addresses in the
top 100 US population centers (called MSAs) were to be able to take their
numbers with them after 24 November 2003. People in the rest of the US have this
freedom after 24 May 2004. Since wireless carriers are not required to wait
until the deadline, many will allow number portability even before the deadline.