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NEW DELHI, Nov 20 (Reuters) - India will introduce mobile number portability on Dec 31, a move that could further intensify the stiff competition in the world's fastest-growing wireless market and push call charges lower.
Mobile Number Portability (MNP), which allows users to retain their number even if they switch operators, will be introduced in two phases, the telecoms regulator said, first in the metro cities and the so-called Category A telecom zones and in other areas by March 20.
MNP helps in "increasing competition between the service providers and acts as a catalyst for the service providers to improve their quality of service," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said on its website.
The regulator also notified certain charges associated with MNP and said switching charges for users must not exceed 19 rupees (U.S. 40 cents).
For the TRAI order, see http://link.reuters.com/pej72g
Four new firms including ventures of international telecom operators Telenor, Etisalat and Batelco are set to start services in India this year and MNP would make it easy for them to lure existing subscribers.
For more Reuters stories on Indian telecoms, click on .

($1=46.6 rupees)

(Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Malini Menon)

((devidutta.tripathy@thomsonreuters.com; +91 11 4178 1009; Reuters Messaging: devidutta.tripathy.reuters.com@reuters.net))

((If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com)) Keywords: INDIA TELECOM/MNP
* MNP in metro cities and lucrative zones from Dec. 31
* To be extended to rest of India by March 20, 2010
* Porting charges must not exceed 40 U.S. cents - regulator
NEW DELHI, Nov 20 (Reuters) - India will introduce mobile number portability on Dec 31, a move that could further intensify the stiff competition in the world's fastest-growing wireless market and push call charges lower.
Mobile Number Portability (MNP), which allows users to retain their number even if they switch operators, will be introduced in two phases, the telecoms regulator said, first in the metro cities and the so-called Category A telecom zones and in other areas by March 20.
MNP helps in "increasing competition between the service providers and acts as a catalyst for the service providers to improve their quality of service," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said on its website.
The regulator also notified certain charges associated with MNP and said switching charges for users must not exceed 19 rupees (U.S. 40 cents).
For the TRAI order, see http://link.reuters.com/pej72g
Four new firms including ventures of international telecom operators Telenor, Etisalat and Batelco are set to start services in India this year and MNP would make it easy for them to lure existing subscribers.
For more Reuters stories on Indian telecoms, click on .

($1=46.6 rupees)

(Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Malini Menon) ((If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email Keywords: INDIA TELECOM/MNP =2

(devidutta.tripathy@thomsonreuters.com; +91 11 4178 1009; Reuters Messaging: devidutta.tripathy.reuters.com@reuters.net)

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NEW DELHI, Nov 20 (Reuters) - India will introduce mobile number portability on Dec 31, a move that could further intensify the stiff competition in the world's fastest-growing wireless market and push call charges lower.
Mobile Number Portability (MNP), which allows users to retain their number even if they switch operators, will be introduced in two phases, the telecoms regulator said, first in the metro cities and the so-called Category A telecom zones and in other areas by March 20.
MNP helps in "increasing competition between the service providers and acts as a catalyst for the service providers to improve their quality of service," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said on its website.
The regulator also notified certain charges associated with MNP and said switching charges for users must not exceed 19 rupees (U.S. 40 cents).
For the TRAI order, see http://link.reuters.com/pej72g
Four new firms including ventures of international telecom operators Telenor, Etisalat and Batelco are set to start services in India this year and MNP would make it easy for them to lure existing subscribers.
For more Reuters stories on Indian telecoms, click on .

($1=46.6 rupees)

(Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Malini Menon)

((devidutta.tripathy@thomsonreuters.com; +91 11 4178 1009; Reuters Messaging: devidutta.tripathy.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: INDIA TELECOM/MNP (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com)

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Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.

NEW DELHI, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Vodafone has sought an extension until Jan. 29 to reply to a tax claim notice issued last month by the Indian tax department, Junior Finance Minister S.S. Palanimanickam said on Friday in a written reply to question in parliament.
On Oct. 30, India's tax department issued the notice to Vodafone over its $11.2 billion purchase of Hutchison Telecom's Indian operations in 2007, and had said the British firm needed to comply by Nov. 16.
For previous Reuters stories on the matter, see and.

(Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by John Mair)

((devidutta.tripathy@thomsonreuters.com; +91 11 4178 1009; Reuters Messaging: devidutta.tripathy.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: VODAFONE INDIA/TAX (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com)

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By Nicola Leske

BARCELONA, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Dutch telecoms group KPN said it may consider network sharing with Telefonica's O2 Germany to share costs and also said it was open to a sale of its Belgian unit if the price was right.
"Network sharing with O2 is an option, nothing is excluded," chief executive Ad Scheepbouwer said on Thursday at a conference.
"We do network sharing with mobistar in Belgium. It's a good way to share costs but we do not have specific talks."
The comments come ahead of an auction for additional spectrum in Germany planned for the first quarter 2010.
KPN's German unit E-Plus and O2 Germany have said they are at a disadvantage compared with market leaders T-Mobile and Vodafone, who entered the market much earlier.
"I think Telefonica and we will look at this jointly. If there is a possibility to jointly look at this spectrum there might be a cost saving exercise," Scheebouwer said.
The two smaller operators have asked the German telecoms regulator to ensure fair access to important frequencies below one gigahertz for all mobile telecoms providers by limiting bidding rights for large players.
Asked about the possibility of merging the two businesses, Scheepbouwer said both companies would only sell if they got a high price.
KPN is also active in Belgium where, according to media reports, it is looking to dispose of assets.
"In the Belgian market we have been unduly squeezed. We have not really had a chance to compete," Scheepbouwer said, adding: "What we do with the business meanwhile I do not know yet, the business is not growing much. If we get a good price we may sell it".

Mobistar, Belgium's second biggest mobile phone operator has said it is looking into acquiring KPN Belgian assets. "Mobistar always examines opportunities on the market. We have not yet taken any decisions," a spokeswoman said earlier this month.
Belgian daily De Tijd had reported KPN had started a formal procedure to sell its business-customer unit and fibre network in Belgium.
KPN, which owns the smallest of Belgium's three mobile operators, BASE, is active in broadband through Tele2 Belgium, which it acquired in 2007 and recently rebranded BASE.
A shortlist of potential buyers had been drawn up, De Tijd said, with sources citing Belgian cable company Telenet and corporate telecoms specialist Colt Telecoms as other candidates.

(Editing by Dan Lalor) Keywords: TECH CONFERENCE/KPN (nicola.leske@thomsonreuters.com; +49 69 7565 1214; Reuters Messaging: nicola.leske.reuters.com@reuters.net)

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Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.