Long-awaited mobile number portability service is set to roll out from the 1st of October as per a decision of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.
A subscriber must obtain a new SIM card of desired mobile operator to enjoy the MNP service under which the subscriber will be able to change operator keeping his or her existing mobile number unchanged, officials of BTRC and MNP service providing company said.
BTRC last week informed the country’s mobile operators — Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk — about the launching time of MNP service.
Officials of Infozillion Teletech BD Limited, the MNP service provider, said that as per the BTRC directive a customer would require visiting the customer care centre of the mobile operator to which network he or she wanted to switch for collecting new SIM card.
The operator will issue a SIM card to the customer but his/her mobile number will remain unchanged, they said.
The subscriber will have to provide related information and documents including NID number and picture to collect new SIM card.
A subscriber will have to pay Tk 50 for switching operator.
Value-added tax at the rate of 15 per cent on the fee and Tk 100 as SIM replacement tax will also be applicable for availing the service.
Usually, the new SIM will be activated within three working days (72 hours).
Subscribers will have to pay additional Tk 100 to the MNP operator for getting the service within 24 hours.
Mobile operators, however, are yet to announce whether the subscribers will pay the tax or operators will take the burden to attract new customers.
A subscriber will have to wait 90 days for changing the operator again under the MNP service.
Initially, BTRC had set the MNP service charge at Tk 30 but later increased it to Tk 50. The MNP operator will get the charge from the mobile phone operators for providing porting facility.
On January 31, 2018, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India slashed the charge against mobile number porting service to Rs 4 (equivalent to Tk 4.65) per successful porting from Rs 19 (equivalent to Tk 22.09) earlier.
Among the Asian countries, mobile phone subscribers in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore and Thailand get the service free of cost.
Mobile phone subscribers in Maldives and Taiwan, however, have to pay fees for MNP service.
BTRC handed over MNP licence to Infozillion Teletech BD, a Bangladesh-Slovenian joint venture, on November 30, 2017.
Initially, the deadline for the service launch was set May 30 but rescheduled for a number of times.
Source: http://www.newagebd.net/article/51895/mnp-service-rolls-out-from-midnight