ISLAMABAD, March 22: The cellular phone companies are launching the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service from today, enabling their customers to change the operator while retaining the same number and code.

According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), this facility would be available to users from March 26.

The authority further said Pakistan was the first country in the region to implement this facility. This system would pose many technical and administrative challenges for the operators but would also provide a competitive landscape for customers.

PTA Chairman Maj. General (Retd) Shahzada Alam Malik said that more than 52 million mobile subscribers would be able to avail this facility that would encourage healthy competition for quality service and competitive tariffs.

Usually MNP increases the potential of churn (loss of customers), thereby forcing service operators to work hard to retain their customers.

The system ensures freedom of operator choice as well as quality of service for the consumers and has been adopted in several countries for protection of vital consumer interests and for achievement of optimal competition.

The PTA had set up Pakistan Mobile Number Portability Database Company Limited (PMD) last year to cater to the project’s needs and all six cellular operators were its members.

With the launch of MNP facility, cellular mobile operators would be able to process porting requests from the recipient operator to the donor operator after completion of the consumer’s porting request.

The whole process would be completed within four working days after which the database of both the operators would be updated electronically to implement the MNP facility.—APP