Indian regulator TRAI has stipulated the introduction of pan-India mobile number portability from May 3.
The regulator has amended MNP guidelines to encompass interstate porting, the Hindureported. Currently consumers can only retain their number when switching to a new provider within the same service area.
India is divided into 22 telecom circles, and MNP is currently only possible within these circles. But TRAI's Telecom Commission gave in-principle approval for full MNP in June.
Telecom experts interviewed by the Economic Times expect the move to increase churn rates for smaller operators and to benefit consumers. But they also warned that the transition could pose implementation challenges for the nation's operators.
As per TRAI regulations, if consumers attempt to port out without paying their bill to the donor operator, the company will have 30 days to raise the issue of non-payment.
The recipient operator will meanwhile be required to send a notice of 15 days for a subscriber to pay the bill, and to disconnect the service if it is not paid.
TRAI data shows that there have been around 142.9 million MNP requests since the capability was introduced in 2011, including 3.5 million in December.