New Delhi : The implementation of mobile number portability (MNP) has been postponed to October 31 as the operators are not ready with the infrastructure to provide the service.
"The government has taken the decision after reviewing the readiness of the various access, international long distance service providers and keeping in view the complexity and enormity of the testing involved before MNP is implemented," said a telecom ministry statement Wednesday.
The MNP when launched will allow subscribers to retain their existing telephone numbers in the same service area even if they switch from one service provider to another irrespective of mobile technology.
The MNP was to be implemented by December 31, 2009 in all the metro cities as well as in the states of Maharastra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The deadline was then changed to March 31, 2010 and thereafter to June 30, 2010.
