TRAI Asks Aircel to Generate UPC to Facilitate Mobile Number Portability

Trying to put an end to the customers' woes of not being able to switch Aircel numbers to other operators, the Indian telecom regulator on Tuesday issued a directive asking the company to generate Unique Port Code (UPC) that would facilitate mobile number portability (MNP).

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has asked for facilitating MNP for the subscribers of Aircel Dishnet Wireless in the licensed service areas of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Mumbai, North East, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (East) and West Bengal.

Aircel and Dishnet Wireless (both collectively referred to as Aircel Group), on February 22, 2018, informed that Aircel Group is undergoing deep financial stress due to various reasons which has also resulted in closing operations in six of their circles with effect from January 31, 2018.

Aircel has already closed down its services in the licensed services areas like Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh (West) with effect from January 31, 2018.

Due to disruption of services in the remaining licensed service areas like in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Mumbai, North East, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (East) and West Bengal, a large number of subscribers, both prepaid and postpaid, are being inconvenienced and facing difficulties in porting their mobile number to other service provider.

The regulator has asked Aircel to keep all the UPCs generated pursuant to this direction and "UPCs generated prior to the date of this direction which are valid on that date, valid till 23:59:59 hours of April 15, 2018".

It has also asked Aircel not to reject any porting-out request of its subscribers whose activation of mobile number in the "network of Aircel Group is of less than 90 days".