Consumer Switching Behaviour towards Mobile Number Portability

Abstract

The Indian telecom industry is one of the fastest growing in the world after China and is projected that India will have 'billion plus' mobile users by 2015. The much awaited Mobile Number Portability (MNP) has been launched in January 2011. The mobile users in the country now have the choice to switch from one telecom operator to another, within the telecom circle, without the change of phone number. The introduction of MNP is expected to promote more competition in the sector, and force service providers to improve service quality and reduce prices. The present study examines the effect of MNP on the IT and ITES sector employee segment in Hyderabad. The primary objectives of the study are to study the awareness level of MNP, to explore the brand-switching behaviour by accessing MNP, and to understand the factors influencing towards MNP. The study shows that, though there is a very high level of awareness, there is not much response in terms of increasing the intension to switch service providers. In fact, the introduction of MNP has made the segment more quality-service and price sensitive. As a result, service providers must offer better service at reduced prices in order to retain and expand its customer base.