11-Digit Phone Numbers plan opposed by Indian operators

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Indian regulator’s plans to move the country to an eleven digit phone number system has been opposed by the majority of India’s mobile network operators. Pending shortage of available numbers within the current mobile prefix has made the changes to the numbering system a requirement and has leaded the TRAI to hold a consultation.

Mobile operators have countered this suggestion of TRAI by suggestion that the numbering blocks currently reserved for landline can be made available to mobile subscribers. The GSM operators have been represented by Cellular Operators Association of India which feels that keeping six billion numbers reserved for fixed line subscribers is unfair. This is a clear wastage of the precious numbering resource as the actual number is even below 40 million.

According to the association, considering the relative size of the subscriber bases in the mobile and fixed sectors and the exponential growth of mobile subscriptions, it is worthwhile to free up the fixed line numbering resources and re-allocate some levels to mobile services

The only operators which had not objected to the idea of longer phone numbers are Reliance Communications and the Tata Teleservices. In their opinion, long term trend towards 11-digit phone numbers in inevitable regardless of how many dialing prefixes are made available.