Entry of mobile number portability (MNP) looks closer to becoming a reality with the country’s regulator, TRAI releasing draft regulations concerning issues associated with the implementation and management of MNP.

The draft guidelines issued today touch the following aspects:

· Subscriber’s eligibility conditions for porting.

· Rights obligations and duties of service providers

· Rights, obligations and duties of Donor operator, where the subscriber exists before porting

· Rights, obligations and duties of recipient operator, where the subscriber moves after porting

While the issue first gained official importance when TRAI floated a consultation paper on the matter followed by the regulator submitting the recommendations in 2006, MNP implementation gained ground only last year.

Two firms, Syniverse Technologies and MNP Interconnect have now been engaged to serve up as MNP service providers and will be responsible for day-to-day management of the system.

The authority has asked industry players to submit their view points by July 14, 2009.

MNP in India is to be rolled out in a phased manner starting with metros.