[wildon]

Come January and all mobile phone users will have 11-digit mobile numbers instead of their 10-digit numbers currently.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has amended the National Numbering Plan 2003 for migration to an 11-digit numbering plan in mobile services by prefixing the number ‘9’ to the existing two-digit PLMN Access Code.

A PLMN is identified by the Mobile Country Code (MCC) and the Mobile Network Code (MNC). Every service provider has its own PLMN, which interconnects with other PLMNs and public switched telephone networks (PSTNs) for telephone communications, or with internet service providers for data and internet access.

The proposed migration from the existing 10-digit number to an 11-digit numbering plan is likely to be implemented from January 1, 2010, according to an internal DoT note.

A new numbering plan was required because India’s mobile subscriber base has grown at a faster pace than expected. The numbering plan that is applicable now was formulated in 2003 on a forecast of 50 per cent teledensity by 2030.

This allowed for 750 million telephone connections, comprising an anticipated 300 million basic and 450 million cellular mobile connections.

With India adding over 10-14 million mobile subscribers each month, the wireless subscriber base has already crossed 500 million, a year ahead of the target. Therefore, DoT has to re-examine plans to accommodate more subscribers.

This is not the first time phone numbers will be modified. A few years ago, the government had prefixed the number ‘2’ to all BSNL and MTNL fixed-line phones across the country to accommodate more connections.

Source:BS

[Samurai]

Can somebody explain this to me... A 10 digit number theoretically can have 9 billion combinations. Even if you issue only numbers starting from 9 to mobile phones, you still have 1 billion combinations. If you also issue 8 like in docomo, you have 2 billion now.

The 10 digit phone number is a worldwide standard, why are these goverment babus messing with it?

The telephone exchanges in India don't even give a disconnect signal causing huge heartburn to EPABX and Mobile exchanges. India doesn't even allow the usage of VOIP which can really bring down the cost of telephony in India.

Instead of fixing existing mess, they want to create a new mess.

[aroop]

This is interesting because it looks futuristic. Sometime back, the government paved the way for new numbering with mobile numbers beginning with 8. It will take time for 8 to get exhausted, and we have 7 more digits to go!

The Hindu : National : New mobile number series to begin with ‘8’

Its only in a proposal stage, implementation will take time

[Abhay]

Atleast the number added will be same for ALL mobile numbers so we don't have to keep track, just add that number before dialling like we did with the BSNL 2.

[theMAG]

Imagine the havoc that will ensue if you are using a mobile number for office work and all clients are offshore.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Can somebody explain this to me... A 10 digit number theoretically can have 9 billion combinations. Even if you issue only numbers starting from 9 to mobile phones, you still have 1 billion combinations. If you also issue 8 like in docomo, you have 2 billion now.

I think it might be due to population density in some areas and also the fact that we have so many operators.

For example.
City U has operators A,B and C

Following a fixed protocol all numbers must begin with 9.
So we have a 9 XXX YYY YYY

Now XXX is determined by which operator and city combination it is.
So provider A has 123, B has 222 and C has 234

So effectively for the City U every operator gets only
9 123 YYY YYY or 9,99,999 about a million numbers.

The first three digits XXX are limited because this combination needs to work across all cities + operators combinations in India.

If the first 4 digits are used for the city+operator combo the available numbers go to just a lakh.

While a million in a city may appear big, I am not so sure about it.

Disclaimer: Just some random play with number. I have no idea on how it actually works.

[ph03n!x]

The first four digits of the current mobile numbers identify the service provider, hence the service provider having 9800 as their ID will have 9800 00000 to 9800 999999 (1 million connections in the series) and so on...

On a related note: Though we have a lot of shortcomings in the Indian telephony scene, I am surprised on how cost effective and (more or less) reliable our system is. Owing to our population and tele-density, every provider and government are willing to invest money - where they invest and what they do it a different thing, and that is probably because the decision makers are not the most suited ones.

This is not so in most other countries, where telecom is pretty costly (because they have excellent infrastructure, and need to price it accordingly to break even), or is not up to the mark (because investors are wary of (comparatively) the lower tele-density), or both!

I am proud of our telecom scene in spite of the shortcomings- wherever I go, I can happily boast we have the lowest talktime rates...!

[muni]

I have a stupid idea. What stops us from using alphanumeric numbers. It will give hell lot more permutation and combination of numbers. Maybe the hardware and software is not equipped to handle an alphanumeric format.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by muni

I have a stupid idea. What stops us from using alphanumeric numbers. It will give hell lot more permutation and combination of numbers. Maybe the hardware and software is not equipped to handle an alphanumeric format.

The problem is with hardware.
Data is transmitted via bits. Now the telephone number is numeric.
so 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Now of these 0, 6, 8 and 9 have no problem. These digits are really fast. They can get thru all bends and turns in the wires.

However the other digits usually keep getting stuck in the turns. Especially 7.

That is why some phone numbers get connected faster than others.
When you get a new number take care that it has the fast digits and not the slow digits.

Now after that nonsense you read above (my post only) and hopefully had a laugh.

It does not matter whether its a digit or a letter. Internally they are all just bits and bytes. Represented by 0 and 1. But actually just a difference in voltage.

EDIT: inspired by Dilbert.

[wildon]

Here is the National Numbering plan 2003. Go to Page 111 is see how the codes are at present. So additionally they are adding '9' to the existing two digit access code. More info on the file

[Gansan]

I have three mobile connections, all from Airtel. Two of them taken at Chennai and one at Tirunelveli. The Chennai numbers start with 98400 and 97898 whereas the T'vely one starts with 98941.

How come so much difference for the same operator?

[vinu_pm]

I am not surpised even if the Govt babus think of making the Automobile numbers 5 Digits in coming years

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

The first four digits of the current mobile numbers identify the service provider, hence the service provider having 9800 as their ID will have 9800 00000 to 9800 999999 (1 million connections in the series) and so on...

This is no more valid because of mobile number portability. Any number can belong to any service provider now.

[malgudi]

Some Insight on 11 digit Number :
1. The Problem with current numbering scheme is that most of it is allocated to MTNL & BSNL. (PSTN Numbering Plan)
2. They have divided the series in STD codes (Like 11 for delhi, 22 for mumbai) as per the geography.
3. This means that even if all numbers in delhi (11xxxxxxxx) are not used but are still reserverd for delhi.
4. Mobile service providers are only allocated 9 (I think 8 as well. Not sure will confirm).
5. As the project growth in number of subscribers is around 450 M Subs, 9 series is not sufficient.
6. It will be a Herculean task for MTNL/BSNL to rearrange their number series to vacate a series starting from say 6 (They need to migrate all the customers where the STD codes start from 6 to some other series).
7. 800 Million new Mobile Numbers are created for DoT by 11 digit numbering scheme
8. Impossible to implement by January as all operators are busy in implementing MNP changes.

[SirAlec]

Morons!

Imagine, i am thinking of the day I have to edit 1300 plus number in my two mobile's address book that too manually.