YOUR UNIQUE IDENTITY NO MAY BECOME YOUR MOBILE NUMBER

Your unique identity number may become your mobile number





NEW DELHI: Facing a peculiar situation of exhausting 10-digit mobile numbers, C-DOT, a research and development organisation of the telecom sector, India's top 10 BPOs



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is studying if the unique identity number (UID) could be converted into mobile number. The identity number could be the one to be issued by the government for which an UID authority has been set up, or any other like driving licence number.





The situation has arisen in the wake of phenomenal growth in the mobile telephony with over one crore subscribers being added every month.





“We are carrying out a study to check whether some other ID numbers can be used as the mobile number. The current, 10-digit number will get exhausted soon. So, we are looking at this — one number — concept wherein a single number can be used for different purposes,” said C-DOT executive director PV Acharya. The Department of Telecom (DoT) is planning to come up with 11-12 digit number, but what is guarantee that this will also not fall short of demand, he said.





“What we have thought is why not have one unique number associated with the person like the social security number in the US or the UID. So that unique number we can use for the purpose of mobile communications also,” he said.



However, Mr Acharya added it (the number) is not usable right away, as there are certain issues of protocol and standard. “We are examining whether it is usable and if so then what modifications are required in the infrastructure,” he added.





The project is still at a very preliminary stage and no funding has been decided yet for the project. C-DOT has started the study project in may and is likely to come up with some conclusion within a year.





The government is planning to rework the current numbering plan and is already debating with telecom regulator Trai whether 11-12 digit numbers could be offered.







The present numbering plan was framed in 2003 to serve estimated 75 crore subscribers until 2030. However, the booming Indian telecom sector is likely to reach 75 crore mobile users much before that as currently India’s mobile subscriber base is 44.16 crore. Reworking the present numbering system means that cell phone numbers could go beyond the usual 10 digit.





However, the cost and technology is a major consideration here. If operators have to provide a less than 10-digit or more than 10-digit number, they have to invest a lot on upgrading their database.



SOURCE;THE ET