National Mobile Number Portability (NMNP)

1. National Mobile Number Portability (NMNP) Modules: Port In & Service Connect

2. What is MNP? Mobile Number Portability (MNP) requires that mobile telephone customers can keep their telephone number when switching from one provider of mobile telecommunications services to another. In the absence of MNP, customers have to give up their number and must adopt a new one when they switch operators. As a result, customers face switching costs associated with informing people about changing their number, printing new business cards, missing valuable calls from people that do not have the new number, etc. Number Portability allows subscribers to change their service provider while retaining their old mobile number even when the circle changes. Portability benefits subscribers and increases the level of competition between service providers, rewarding service providers with the best customer service, network coverage, and service quality.

3. Some Basic Terms MNP Gateway MNP gateway acts as a mediator RMS RMS {Resource Management System or Number Management System} application is used to manage the operator inventory. ASAP ASAP (Automated Service activation program) is an application which is integrated with network elements like {HLR, IN, OTA etc }. ESB When the ESB receives a message, it routes the message to the appropriate application. Often, because that application evolved without the same message model, the ESB has to transform the message into a format that the application can interpret.

4. Some Basic Terms( Cont’d) DMS {Distributor Management System } is an application used by channel partners {Distributors} to manage his inventory. It is useful to stop cross sale in the market and increase satisfaction between partners. It is used to generate purchase order. i.e. to purchase SIM, recharge vouchers from service provider .

5. MNP- Port In If a non- uninor customer is Porting-In to uninor for second time, his earlier status would be= PORTED-OUT & SIM status= Expired. Earlier, if a Ported-In customer had got disconnected from uninor , after the quarantined period, his number would have been returned (as a part of MNP reverse process). Now, if the same MSISDN returns for Port-In, at NMS, the status of MSISDN will be= PORTED-IN-REVERSED & SIM status= Expired. In the above two cases, when Insert Instruction is received, NMS will set the MSISDN status to PORT-IN & SIM status to Blank. Now, if a Uninor number, which had ported out, returns. In this case the MSISDN status at NMS will be PORTED-OUT and SIM status will be Expired. Now, when Insert Instruction is received, NMS will set the MSISDN to Pre-activated .

6. MNP Port-In (Cont’d) Change MSISDN & activation request received: Unpair the Uninor SIM’s IMSI and Pair this IMSI with MNP MSISDN. Set the status of the MNP MSISDN to pre-provisioned. Send result (success/failure) to ESB. On successful CHANGE MSISDN msg received, set MNP MSISDN status to PORTED-IN ASSIGNED and SIM status to Assigned.

7. Port In Process Porting Processes During the number porting process, Participants exchange information via the Mobile Number Portability Clearinghouse (MCH) to port a subscriber’s telephone number. The Porting Processes for Operator Ports: Port Request and Activation - Recipient initiates with a request, and later activates the number. Port Cancellation – Subscriber has 24 hours to cancel. Recipient uses this process if the Recipient had previously submitted the port Request. Recipient sends Message to MCH when a Subscriber contacts Recipient to port their number(s), all communication between MCH and Service provider happens through MNP Gateway exists at Service provide end. Recipient provides Porting Code and Subscriber Request Date MCH validates, and send Port Request to Donor Donor validates the Recipient’s information

8. Port In Process(Cont’d) Donor sends Port Response to MCH Donor flags numbers being rejected and why. Below are the TRAI guided validations done by donor operator on the subscriber number and can reject if any fails. Circle Check UPC Code Mismatch UPC Expiry {UPC Code validity is 15 days from the date of generation} 90 days validation {subscriber should continue 90 days in service provider from the date of activation} Employee SIM {Service Provider can stop Port if Subscriber holds a Number that provider issue to his employees} E-Load SIM {Service provide can stop the Port if subscriber holds a E-load number that is being used by channel partners for e-Recharge transactions, or used in activation}. MCH validates response; if any number is rejected the port is rejected. MCH sends Port Response to Recipient and Donor

9. Port In Process(Cont’d) If Port is accepted, MCH provides the Port Time for activation Recipient notes numbers rejected for porting and why. What if Donor does not send Port Response message on time? MCH sends Port Response to Recipient and Donor accepting the port and setting the Port Time MCH will reject Port Response if Donor sends it after the timer has expired. When Port Time arrives MCH sends Message Execute Port to Donor Donor deactivates the numbers. Donor sends Response Port Deactivated to MCH. MCH sends Port activated to Recipient

10. Port In Process(Cont’d) MCH provides the route Recipient activates the numbers. What if Donor does not send Port Deactivated in time? MCH sends Port activated to Recipient and setting the Port Time MCH will reject Message if Donor sends it after the timer has expired . The Recipient sends Message – Port Activated to MCH MCH sends Message – Port Activated Broadcast to Recipient, Donor and the Other Participants. MCH provides the numbers and the route to be used for all the numbers in the port. MCH indicates each number that is now being served by the Original Assignee (OA) as a result of the port. Donor and Other Participants note numbers being ported and the Route to be used for those numbers.

11. Retailer SMS Enterprise Service Bus DTR (Approval of distributor) Customer Agreement Form Enterprise Service Bus MNP Gateway Enterprise Service Bus Resource Management System (Request Initiate for PORT_OUT) (Start PORT_OUT Validation) Distributor Management System Address Verification And Management Enterprise Service Bus MNP Gateway Enterprise Service Bus CIM (Number Tag) Customer Agreement Form Port In Explained via Flow Charts

12. Port Accept(Y) Failure (within 1 day or immediate) RMS DMS CIM Success (72-hrs) (Unblocked the number) (Un-mapping) (Un-tag) MNP Gateway (PORTIN_RESP)

13. Service Connect Service Connect Request MNP Gateway Enterprise Service Bus U 2 U U 2 Other Enterprise Service Bus Enterprise Service Bus Resource Management System Resource Management System Automated Service Activation Process Automated Service Activation Process Enterprise Service Bus Enterprise Service Bus CIM RMS DMS Publish (Extra Circle )

14. Advantages of NMNP over MNP This move is obviously going to benefit millions who move from one circle to another, but more over, the biggest benefit would be that they will be able to keep their mobile numbers. On an average, most mobile users have over 200 contacts on their mobile phones and informing everyone about your changed number is a nightmare to say the least. And when you change your number, you need to keep you earlier number active for atleast few months so you will not lose important calls. This does cost lot of money and additional head-ache of carrying 2 mobile connections at the same time. Now, that will be history.

15. Repercussions And as far as the repercussions go, telecom operators will need to even remain more competitive now. They will now be competing not only at local level, but at national level as well. The little disparity of tariff which is present in different circles will probably go away now. On the other hand, consumers also need to keep in mind that operators are now moving towards a unified Pan-India offerings. Recently, Reliance Communication had announced “One India One Rate” plan where they do not make any distinction between Local, STD and Roaming. If all providers go that way, full portability may lose its sheen a bit as well!

16. Thank You