Mobile number portability

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Mobile Number Portability (MNP) enables mobile telephone users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another.

In Australia, mobile telephone numbers have been portable between carriers since 2001. Previously, prefixes 04x1, 04x2 and 04x3 referred to Optus customers, 04x4, 04x5 and 04x6 referred to Vodafone numbers, and 04x7, 04x8 and 04x9 referred to Telstra. Portability has been a great asset in allowing freedom of choice of service provider. However many telecommunications companies had special or discount rates for calls between two customers of the same service provider, which although the special rates still existed, it was made difficult for customers to determine which provider the person they were calling was with. Land line phone numbers are tied to a particular physical telephone exchange - as of 2004 there are no plans or demand to change this.

Vodafone has recently had a tie up with Essar. Pakistan introduced Mobile no. portability in March 2007. Pakistan will become the first country in the region to implement this facility, It was introduced on 23rd March and was implemented from March 26 2007.