International Journal of Business Management & Research (IJBMR) ISSN 2249-6920 Vol.

2 Issue 4 Dec 2012 1-12 TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.,

A STUDY TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER PERCEPTION ABOUT MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY SERVICES IN DELHI AND NCR (INDIA)
1 1

PUJA KHATRI & 2YUKTI AHUJA

Associate Professor, University School of Management Studies, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, India
2

Assistant Professor, Jagan Institute of Management Studies, (affiliated to GGSIPU), Rohini, Delhi, India

ABSTRACT
The Indian telecom industry is the worlds fastest growing industry with close to 792 million mobile phone subscribers as of February 2011. Indian telecommunication sector has continued to record noteworthy success and has emerged as one of the key sectors that have been accountable for resurgent growth of the Indian economy. The industry will reach around $80 billion in revenues by next year showing an astounding CAGR of over 25% and will employ a stupendous 1 crore employees making it one of the biggest value creators in India in recent times. Mobile Number Portability (MNP) was launched in India in January 2011, which allows the user to retain the existing number while giving him an option to change the subscriber. This has been a revolution in the field of telecom and hence becomes a relevant area of research in terms of mapping the customers perception towards the facility. A primary research has been conducted to study the impact of select variables with respect to the mobile number portability. Data has been analyzed with the help of SPSS software version 17 with techniques of correlation and t-test.

KEY WORDS: Mobile Number Portability, Indian Telecom Sector, Services INTRODUCTION
Telecom managed services globally have been growing at a rate of 14 per cent on an yearly basis, with revenues aggregating up to US$ 190 billion, while in India, the growth rate of the telecom managed services is 19 per cent per year with revenues pegged at US$ 8-9 billion (KPMG). The dominant players in the Indian telecom sector that own a share of 87.9 per cent share of the entire sector are: Bharti Airtel with 20.09 per cent, followed by Reliance (16.7 per cent), Vodafone (16.54 per cent), state-owned BSNL (11.41 per cent), Tata (11.08 per cent) and Idea (10.97 per cent). Vodafone has recorded the fastest growth rate in the month of February, at 17.61 per cent in its subscription base. Reliance (16.36 per cent), Bharti (15.85 per cent), Idea (12.43 per cent), Aircel (8.26 per cent) and Tata (7.93 per cent) have also recorded decent growth rate figures for the month of February, 2011, according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) database. As per statistics, the total number of mobile phone base in the country will rise to 900 million by the end of 2012 and it is further expected that this Table will steadily rise to 1.25 billion by 2015. It has also been projected that the users for the broadband base are going to reach 100 million mark by 2014, particularly after the telecom companies roll out their 3G services as per the research study conducted (Crisil). The government has recognized the importance of a comprehensive and forward looking telecommunications policy that assists in the development of the Indian telecom industry. One step in this direction is the mobile number portability which comes in the wake of cut throat competition among the service providers. Mobile number portability explicitly stands for the option of changing the service provider while retaining the same number i,e one can use the

Puja Khatri & Yukti Ahuja

services and features offered by the new provider. It was in the year 2010 that MNP arrived to few cities of India, like "Haryana" but because of security reasons government had not given the authority to launch it all over the India. However, exactly after one year of consideration Indian Government gave the green signal to "mobile number portability" service. The service was widely used in foreign countries and now has made foray to India. This will give more autonomy to the customer who was handcuffed for retaining his number and on the other hand will check the performance of service providers. Introduction of MNPS will lead to a number of advantages for the customers like low tariff, flexibility to change; good network etc. On the flip side, arrival of Mobile Number Portability may affect the business of various service providers. The service operator who is offering poor quality service to their customers may get affected by its rivals, providing much better service. The standards of competition will change and now for every service provider it will be a challenge to provide better and uninterrupted service to satisfy their customers otherwise they might lose their customer base and suffer financial loss. It puts the service providers on their toes and will make them focus on delivering value to the consumers, giving them the power to choose.It will be the survival of the fittest. The launch of the new service will intensify competition in the world's fastest-growing telecommunications market by subscriber additions, and may prompt operators to further reduce call tariffs, which are already among the lowest in the world, to retain users. And according to a recently conducted Mobile Consumer Insights study conducted by The Nielsen Company to gauge consumer attitudes and behavior towards mobile operators in India, it seems that close to one in five (18%) Indian mobile phone subscribers would change their mobile operator if Mobile Number Portability is introduced into the market. The Impact The country has been adding 15-18 million new mobile phone connections to the network every month. MNP technology is widely prevalent in most parts of Europe and North America, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea. The worlds first country to introduce MNP was Singapore in 1997, followed by the UK, Hong Kong and the Netherlands in 1999. Table 1: Introduction of MNP in Selected Countries Year Countries where MNP is available 1997 Singapore 1999 UK, Hong Kong, Netherlands 2000 Spain, Switzerland 2001 Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway 2002 Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Germany 2003 USA, Ireland, France, Finland, Luxembourg 2004 Austria, Greece, Hungary Sources: European Commission (2002), INTUG (2003); It was on January 20 that a new era in the countrys telecom sector began when the already empowered customer became the real king. The launch of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave the much privileged customer the choice of riches in the backdrop of as many as 14 telecom companies operating to share the pie of one of the fastest growing markets in the world. The subscribers can change their network just by paying a fee of Rs 19, but will have to continue with an operator for a minimum period of three months in order to avail the MNP service. Also, the new operators have been given the

A Study towards Understanding Consumer Perception about Mobile Number Portability Services in Delhi and NCR (India)

option to either waive or reduce the portability fee. However, MNP service would be valid only within a circle. This means that mobile phone users would not be able to change the service provider when moving out of the state in which the number has been issued. While moving from one state to another, the subscribers would have to get a new number and they would not be able to retain their previous number. The experts have diverse opinions on the issue, while some think that post-MNP, mobile tariffs will go down further, especially in the post-paid customer base others feel that it is not likely to have any major impact on large cellular service providers and only the smaller ones will be affected. But both the parties believe that there will be intense rivalry among competitors, some trying to woo the customers and others hell bent on retention. Goldman Sachs have made a report according to which it is the post-paid section of the customers and the highend prepaid users who are more likely to shift to another operator. It is the pre-paid customers who form the majority of the subscribers (nearly 95 per cent), while it is the post-paid customers who give the company a substantial (nearly 25 per cent) of its revenue share. So, it purely depends on the companies will whether they will work out on newer schemes or will simply let the customers switch to other companies. Similarly ICRA has also come up with a report according to which: Operators with superior quality of service would be the clear winners, while those with less than satisfactory service quality would stand to lose the maximum by way of subscriber churn. It has been predicted that MNP is likely to prompt six to seven per cent of existing users to switch to other operators. However, after the first few months, the switching rate would stabilize as the operators would improve their networks to retain existing subscribers. Experts have further predicted that it would result in a zero-sum game for the big three telecom companies-Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea. In a zero-sum game, one company would gain at the expense of the other. Being the leaders in the market they have a lot at stake and each one will make the best of their efforts to stay put in the game. LIRNE Asia forecasts that most prepaid subscribers being strategic in their phone use, operators would be forced to compete purely on the range of value-added services they offer and the quality of their services. Each service provider is trying to court their subscribers with something or the other where the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd announced that it would provide free 2G and 3G connections, besides free talk time to MNP customers migrating to BSNL, Uninor, another new player, betted on its dynamic pricing scheme. You keep the same number but start getting up to 60 per cent discounts on all your calls - that is a powerful proposition. Idea cellular cashed in because they hugely invested in celebrity endorsement and their social message advertising. Apart from being the first operator to launch an advertisement series on MNP, Idea launched a dedicated helpline that offers all the relevant information on the processes and procedures of availing MNP. "Consumers are looking for a pan-India network offering seamless connectivity, affordable and relevant products, accessible and humane customer care, accurate billing systems, voice clarity and no call drops," (Rajat Mukarji, Idea Cellular Chief Corporate Affairs Officer) However, operators such as Vodafone and Airtel, are banking on their brand. MNP is not about competing on pricing, its about innovation, having good quality of service and customer support. We would like to compete at that level, said Atul Bindal, president, Airtel Mobile Services. Bharti Airtel, India's largest cellular operator says it is confident of retaining its customer base. "I think the customer at the high end is very discerning and is looking at sustainibility and therefore large networks,innovative services,bringing in value addition life enriching services are all going to play a very vital role. (Sanjay Kapoor, CEO). In the wake of this competition both reliance communications and Tata Teleservices are dependent on their dual technology: As RCom offers one of the best networks-both CDMA and GSM-and has extensive coverage, it stands to

Puja Khatri & Yukti Ahuja

gain from MNP. (Mahesh Prasad, president, RCom). Our cutting edge technology and a robust network will help us not only retain our customers but also gain the position of operator of choice in the new regime. TTLs MNP strategy will ride strongly on a simple tariff structure and strong customer care and service levels. (Deepak Gulati, executive president, Tata Teleservices) Objectives of Research 1. 2. 3. 4. To study the consumer perspective towards mobile number portability services in Delhi and NCR. To find out customers willingness to try out MNP services. To find out the perspective of customers towards changing their mobile number. To analyze the acceptability of MNP system among the consumers.

Keeping in mind the above mentioned variables the hypothesis developed are: H1: There will be a significant and positive correlation between keenness to use MNP and availing better services through a new network H2: There will be a significant and positive correlation between keenness to use MNP and availing more value added services H3: Keenness to use MNP and low switching cost will be significantly and positively correlated H4: There will be a significant and positive correlation between keenness to use MNP and dissatisfaction with the current service provider H5: Keenness to use MNP and choice to get the same connection as the respondents friends use are significantly and positively correlated H6: There will be a significant and positive correlation between keenness to use MNP and that MNP is a much promoted service H7: There will be no significant difference between the perception of prepaid and post paid users as regards the services provided by MNP Research Methodology This is an exploratory cum descriptive research and the method used for data collection is Survey. A self constructed questionnaire has been used for the purpose of this research which seeks to map the respondents opinion on the select variables. To find out the consumers perception towards MNP services, technique of convenience sampling has been used. The study was conducted in Delhi NCR with a sample size of 100. Relevant data has been collected through newspapers, magazines and internet. The Sample Descriptives used are Bar diagrams and Pie charts. Data has been analyzed with the help of SPSS version 16 and techniques of correlation and t-test have been applied.

DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS

Profile of the Respondents Table 2: Age Group of Respondents AGE Frequency Till25 Valid 25-35 35-45 Total 51 41 8 100 Percent 51.0 41.0 8 100.0 Valid Percent 51.0 41.0 8 100.0 Cumulative Percent 51.0 92.0 100.0

A Study towards Understanding Consumer Perception about Mobile Number Portability Services in Delhi and NCR (India)

51% of the sample was from the age group under 25 years and 41% of people belonged to age group of 25 to 35 years. Table 3: Gender of Respondents GENDER GENDER Frequency Valid male female Total 53 47 100 Percent 53.0 47.0 100.0 Valid Percent 53.0 47.0 100.0 Cumulative Percent 53.0 100.0

Majority of the sample was of male consumers (53%). Table 4: Occupation of Respondents OCCUPATION Frequency student professionals Business men House wives other Total 35 26 34.0 4 1 100 Percent 35.0 26.0 34.0 4.0 1.0 100.0 Valid Percent 35.0 26.0 34.0 4.0 1.0 100.0 Cumulative Percent 35.0 61.0 95.0 99.0 100.0

Valid

In terms of the occupation the profile consisted of 35 students, 26 professionals, 34 business men, 4 house wives and 1 in the category of others out of a sample of 100. Table 5: Choice of Service Provider SERVICE PROVIDER Frequency Airtel Vodafone Mtnl Aircel Reliance Tata docomo Idea Total 17 27 10 5 12 3 26 100 Percent 17.0 27.0 10.0 5.0 12.0 3.0 26.0 100.0 Valid Percent 17.0 27.0 10.0 5.0 12.0 3.0 26.0 100.0 Cumulative Percent 17.0 44.0 54.0 59.0 71.0 74.0 100.0

Valid

There is a mixed bag in terms of choice of service provider with the highest number of people opting for Vodafone (27), followed by Idea (26) and third in the race being Airtel (17), followed by Reliance (12), MTNL(10), Aircel(5) and Tata Docomo(3). Descriptive & Inferential Analysis Inferential analysis has been performed on select variables of consumer choice and perception towards MNP. Pearsons moment correlation has been applied to assess the relationship between keenness to use MNP and availing better services through a new network.

Puja Khatri & Yukti Ahuja

Table 6: Correlation between Keenness to Use MNP and Availing Better Services through a New Network I am Keen to use MNP 1 100 .376
**

I Want to Avail Better Network Services .376** .000 100 1

I am keen to use MNP

Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N

I want to avail better network services

Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N

.000 100 100

Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed) ** It was found that there is a significant and positive correlation (p<.01) between keenness to use the MNP and availing better network services at .01 level of significance. MNP gives an opportunity to the people to get rid of their network provider if the services are not up to the mark or as expected by the customers. On further probing some customers revealed that despite of making several complaints about the connectivity problems there was no action by the service provider and users felt like captives because they could not change their number. However with MNP they have got the choice with them and the service providers are now at their mercy trying to do everything to please the customers. Hence, the hypothesis H1 is accepted (Table 6). Table 7: Correlation between Keenness to use MNP and Availing more Value Added Services I am Keen to use MNP I am keen to use MNP I want to Avail more Value Added Services

Pearson Correlation 1 .257** Sig. (2-tailed) 0.01 N 100 100 Pearson I want to avail more Correlation .257** 1 value added services Sig. (2-tailed) 0.01 N 100 100 Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed) ** To assess the relationship between keenness to use MNP and customers choice to avail more value added services, Pearsons moment correlation has been applied. It was found that the two variables at .01 level of significance are positively correlated with each other (p<.01). Every service provider offers value added services from his kitty; there are innumerable top up options, caller tune offers, message bonuses, recharge schemes etc. the competition levels are very high and there is no dearth of innovation in designing plans for customers. The more the number of offers, the more they lure the customers. Like it is said that grass is greener on the other side of the fence, the value added services of competitors always appear more lucrative. Hence, we accept hypothesis H2 (Table 7).

A Study towards Understanding Consumer Perception about Mobile Number Portability Services in Delhi and NCR (India)

Table 8: Correlation between Keenness to use MNP and Low Switching Cost I am Keen to use MNP I am keen to use MNP Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation 1 100 MNP Involves Low Switching Cost 0.143 0.157 100

MNP involves low switching cost

.143 1 Sig. (2-tailed) .157 N 100 100 Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed) **

Pearsons moment correlation has been applied to assess the relationship between keenness to use MNP and the low switching cost associated with the service. It was found that the two variables are not correlated with each other (p>.01). It explicitly shows that low switching cost is not the motivation behind making a shift from one service provider to another. If a customer is happy with his current service provider, he would like to stay put unless he feels that his service provider is not able to meet his expectations. Hence, we reject the hypothesis H3 (Table 8). Table 9: Correlation between Keenness to use MNP and Dissatisfaction with Current Service Provider I am Keen to use MNP I am keen to use MNP Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N 1 100 .365** .000 Dissatisfaction with the Current Service Provider .365** .000 100 1 100

Dissatisfaction with the current service provider

100 Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed) **

Pearsons moment correlation has been applied to assess the relationship between keenness to use MNP and dissatisfaction with the current service provider. It was found that there is a significant and positive correlation (p<.01) between the two variables at .01 level of significance. It is quite evident that the respondents dissatisfaction with their service provider will definitely urge them to avail the option of MNP. There could be several reasons behind this dissatisfaction and this could be a strong and valid reason for customers to leave their service provider especially with the facility that they can retain their number. Hence, we accept hypothesis H4 (Table 9). Table 10: Correlation between Keenness to Use MNP and Choice to Get the Same Connection as the Respondents Friends use I am Keen to use MNP I am keen to use MNP Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation 1 100 To get Same Connection as my Friends have .350** .000 100 1 100

To get same connection as my friends have

.350** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 100 Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed) **

Puja Khatri & Yukti Ahuja

To assess the relationship between keenness to use MNP and customers choice to have the same connection as their friends have, Pearsons moment correlation has been applied. It was found that the two variables at .01 level of significance are positively correlated with each other (p<.01). In recent times it has been seen that a lot of companies these days are offering packages for friends having same service provider, like a group plan, a friends 1paisa per minute plan, free messaging service among friends etc. These are the plans that people look for and service providers are cashing in on the same. Also, the maximum number of calls, messaging is done only among the family and close friends, so such deliverables automatically gain popularity. Hence, we accept the hypothesis H5 (Table 10) Table 11: Correlation between Keenness to use MNP because MNP is a Much Promoted Service I am keen to use MNP 1 100 .07 .488 MNP is much promoted .07 .488 100 1

I am keen to use MNP

Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N

MNP is much promoted

100 Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed) **

100

Pearsons moment correlation has been applied to assess the relationship between keenness to use MNP and that the service is much promoted. It was found that the two variables are not correlated with each other (p>.01). This reflects that respondents believe that they dont wish to use MNP because it is much promoted; in fact there are other reasons for making the choice. This question was part of the study because researchers believed that MNP has been highlighted by several service providers so it might have created hype among the customers. However, the respondents responses clearly indicate that they will make a rational choice and will not get carried away by a marketing campaign. Hence, we reject the hypothesis H6 (Table 11) Table 12: Comparison Level of Agreement of Select Variables of MNP Services between Perception of Pre Paid and Post Paid Users Group Statistics Low Tariffs MODE PRE-PAID POST-PAID PRE-PAID POST-PAID PRE-PAID POST-PAID PRE-PAID POST-PAID N 64 36 64 36 64 36 64 36 Mean 1.719 1.972 2.844 2.583 2.563 1.806 3.391 3.917 Std. Deviation 1.29061 1.61221 1.72027 1.74642 1.69851 1.43067 1.25505 1.15573 Std. Error Mean .16133 .2687 .21503 .29107 .21231 .23845 .15688 .19262

Improved network More value added services Customers will get better services quality because of MNP.

A Study towards Understanding Consumer Perception about Mobile Number Portability Services in Delhi and NCR (India)

Table 13: T-Test for Comparison Level of Agreement of Select Variables of MNP Services between Perceptions of Pre Paid and Post Paid Users Independent Samples Test Levene's Test for Equality of Variances F Equal variances assumed Low Equal tariffs variances not assumed Equal variances assumed Improved Equal network variances not assumed Equal variances More assumed value Equal added variances services not assumed Customers Equal variances will get assumed better services Equal quality variances because of not MNP. assumed Significant at 0.05 levels The study of select users through T -test. Table 12 depicts the mean & standard deviation of select variables of MNP with respect to the two categories of users. On analyzing, it was found that there exists a significant difference between the perception of the pre paid and post paid users in terms of the value added services being offered as a consequence of launch of MNP (t = .75694, p<.01) and that the customers will get better service quality. The reason behind this could be that there are innumerable value added services for the post paid users (m=1.8056, s.d=1.43067) in terms of talk time, message plans, family discounts, group calling etc. whereas the pre paid (m=2.5625, s.d=1.69851) plan owners anticipate that with the launch of MNP there is going to be a turn around and service providers will start valuing the pre paid customers as well. Post-paid users generally have a higher standard of service and broader requirements. The operators will offer those bundles of sops and services. This might also happen for that class of prepaid subscriber that mimics the postpaid subscriber, said Rajan Mathews, director general of lobby group, the Cellular Operators Association of India or COAI. Sig. t Df

T-Test for Equality of Means 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower Upper -0.838 0.33107

Sig. (2tailed) 0.392

Mean Difference

Std. Error Difference

5.122

0.03

-0.86

98

-0.25347

0.29456

-0.81

60.42

0.422

-0.25347

0.31341

-0.8803

0.37335

0.11

0.74

0.723

98

0.472

0.26042

0.36034

-0.4547

0.97551

0.72

71.76

0.474

0.26042

0.36189

-0.461

0.98187

12.88

2.26

98

0.026

0.75694

0.335

0.09216

1.42173

2.371

83.38

0.02

0.75694

0.31927

0.12197

1.39192

1.752

0.19

-2.07

98

0.041

-0.52604

0.25427

-1.0306

-0.0215

-2.12

77.81

0.037

-0.52604

0.24842

-1.0206

-0.0315

variables of MNP services has been done to find out the perception of pre paid and post paid

10

Puja Khatri & Yukti Ahuja

There is also a difference of opinion that customers will get better service quality (t = .52604, p<.01). According to IT intelligence firm, IDC India, two of every five mobile handsets sold in the country are multi SIM handsets, indicating that a significant number of Indian users are familiar with issues of quality of more than one service provider. The service providers suffer the wrath of customers as a result of customer service issues - deactivation of imported phone without IMEI numbers and disconnection due to incomplete verification. These irate customers may look at alternate service providers using MNP. The post paid (m=3.9167, s.d=1.15573) users have firm faith that there is going to be an improved service delivery mechanism post MNP, it is the pre paid customers (m=3.3906, s.d=1.25505) who doubt the same. The post paid customers are in the category of high ARPU (Average Revenue per User) where as it is quite low for the pre paid owners. Some companies say that the cost of a pre paid user is approximately hundred rupees a month which is sometimes even more than the revenue generated by them. That is one of the reasons that pre paid users might feel neglected and also may have lesser expectations in terms of service quality. Therefore we reject our hypothesis H7 that there exists no significant difference in the perception of pre paid and post paid customers as regards the services provided by MNP.

CONCLUSIONS
It cannot be ignored that there is an absolute awareness about MNP facility among the population of Delhi NCR region. The credit goes to the efforts made by the TRAI and the promotional strategies of the companies of the telecom sector. Advertisements on Television and Newspaper have been quite popular among the people of Delhi NCR to give information about MNP services and there seems to be enough opportunity in the market for the players to gain from MNP services. People do acknowledge that MNP is advantageous because it gives the flexibility to switch network without changing the number along with other services. Majority of consumers feel that MNP will have great impact on the telecom sector as it will lead to a more intense competition, challenges and opportunities for old and new telecommunications providers but the real benefit will be more for the consumers. To be successful in the competitive telecommunications environment, carriers have to carefully analyze their network and administrative infrastructures, select the best number portability solution for their needs and exploit the benefits of increased customer choice that MNP provides. Consumers are looking for a pan-Indian network offering seamless connectivity across the length and breadth of the country; affordable and relevant products and service offerings; accessible and humane customer care; accurate billing systems; voice clarity and no call drops. These are the key parameters for consumer satisfaction that will ultimately be the deciding factors for exercising choice. Hence, a mobile operator offering such standard of services is expected to gain from MNP. New players in the telecom sector can utilize the opportunity provided by the MNP to attract the consumers who are loyal to big brands by providing better services and more VAS. It is truly a revolutionary move in the telecom sector and has the potential to change the dynamics among competitors.

REFERENCES
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A Study towards Understanding Consumer Perception about Mobile Number Portability Services in Delhi and NCR (India)

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Consultation Paper on Mobile Number Portability, Consultation Paper No. 7/2005, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, New Delhi: July 22, 2005.

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Paper by Stefan Buehler, University of Zurich and University of St. Gallen. Paper by Justus Haucap. Ruhr-University of Bochum Information paper: MNP in Singapore, Infocomm Development Authorityof Singapore, August 2003. EU, 2005. Regulatory framework for electronic communications in theEuropean Union(Accessed at) http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/liberalization/ legIslation/regulatory_framework.pdf

10. FCC, 1996. Telecommunications Act of 1996, Pub. LA.No. 104-104, 110Stat. 56 (1996). (Accessed at) http://www.fcc.gov/telecom.html 11. FICORA 46 B/2004 M. Regulation on telephone number portability(Accessed

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http://www.learntelecom.com/telephony/mnp/how-mobile-number-portability-works-in-india 14. Mobile Number Portability in India and its effects on Telecom brands, The Brand Book (accessed at) http://thebrandbook.wordpress.com/2010/09/25/mobile-number-portability-in-india-and-its-effects-on-telecombrands/ 15. Mobile number portability more attractive to Indias postpaid users and high spenders: Nielsen study (accessed at) http://www.mnp-india.com/blogs/userblog/67 16. Telecommunication, India brand equity foundation (accessed at) http://www.ibef.org/artdispview.aspx?in=72&art_id=29812&cat_id=470&page=2 17. MNP signals open season for luring customers, The Hindu, Business Line (accessed at)

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/article1105836.ece