An ease to switch: Mobile Number Portability

Mobile number portability is a technique that enables the mobile telephone users to persist using the same mobile number, while switching from one mobile network operator/carrier to other.

MNP is implemented in various ways across the world. The International and European standard for a customer who wishes to port number goes in some steps. Firstly, he needs to contact new network operator. Then it sends number portability request (NPR) to current network operator, also referred as donor. This process is referred to as recipient-led porting. 

UK and India are exceptions which implement the donor led systems. The customer contacts the donor to obtain PAC in UK then, Unique Porting Code UPC in India. Which are given to recipient network.

The recipient processes port request, by making contact to donor with porting code. This is donor-led system, and some industry analysts criticize it as inefficient, though MNP scams are prevented by this system. This system also allows the donor to act appropriately on the opportunity, to get its customer back.

One important aspect of Mobile Number Portability is the routing of calls and messages to the number after it gets ported. Flexible number register is used to manage database of ported numbers for routing of calls, in decentralised model of MNP.

Service providers may employ home location register (HLR) queries to get the information about the network of phone number, to which calls and messages have to be routed. MNP is much necessary for telecom market because it eliminates complexities to switch within network operators.