The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has sought the Telecom Commission’s approval that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) be asked to reconsider some of its recommendations on full mobile number portability (MNP).

Earlier, the regulatory body had suggested various changes in license norms while mandating operators to introduce MNP service nationwide. The TRAI had stated that DoT should look at options where no interconnection between the MNP providers would be required, minimising the costs for establishing a system which would facilitate MNP services.

However, since effecting post tender amendments would involve several legal proceedings, DoT has sought a reconfirmation from the regulatory body on whether it still recommends changing existing MNP license norms, along with the entry fee and rollout obligations.

Besides, changing licence norms, TRAI had also asked to reduce the acceptance testing fee, which ranges between Rs 60,000 and Rs 300,000 for carriers and MNP providers, by 25 per cent. In turn, DoT has asked TRAI to provide detailed calculations and the basis for arriving at this decision.