Switch your Mobile Operator If Services Are Poor

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is slated to flag off the nationwide roll-out of mobile number portability on 19th January 2011 ,Thursday , a move that will allow users to switch operators without losing their phone numbers and will force telecom providers to improve the quality of their services.

"I think its a great step forward for the consumer, as it enhances choice and brings in more competition, because the more efficient you are as a service provider, the more likely that consumers will choose you," Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said on Wednesday.

MNP services were first launched in Haryana in November last year. Nevertheless, companies like Idea Cellular and Vodafone started marketing their services to subscribers in other parts of the country that are looking at switching operators even before MNP services were rolled out.

Idea Cellular, which started the ''No idea? Get Idea'' campaign to woo the subscribers of rival telcos, has also set up a toll-free line to assist customers looking to switch operators.

More operators are expected to undertake similar activities to retain their subscribers, with competition likely to heat up following the nationwide roll-out of MNP services, with telcos poaching their rivals'' subscribers.

On tariffs, Sistema Shyam TeleServices (SSTL) President and Chief Executive Officer Vsevolod Rozanov, which offers services under the brand MTS, said, "I think tariffs will go down further especially if we speak about the post-paid customer base that is where we are likely to see the ARPU going down."