We know India is on its way to introduce mobile number portability, how about China? Well, it seems things are moving forward in that direction in the world’s most populous country as well.
According to a document released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Mobile Number Portability (MNP) tests will start in two cities, Tianjin and Hainan, later this month. Duration of the trials is unknown at the moment and the same goes for any subsequent expansion plans.
We do, however, know there will be some complicated restrictions involved. In Hainan, China Mobile 3G subscribers will be able to switch to China Unicom or China Telecom, while subscribers of those two mobile networks cannot switch over to China Mobile. In Tianjin, subscribers can switch between all three networks but not to China Mobile’s 3G network. I assume the reason for this is China Mobile’s use of TD-SCDMA technology, but there could be other reasons as well – like the government’s plan to promote two smaller players.
We’ll definitely keep our eyes on mobile news coming out from China and keep you folks in the loop. Stay tuned…
[Via: CellularNews]