All the phone numbers series currently in use, like the ones beginning with 98 or 99, are quickly getting used up with the subscriber base in the country expected to reach a billion and beyond by next year.
"There might be a serious problem if a new series of numbers are not brought in by the middle of next year. We are theoretically reaching the limit of existing number sets with a subscriber base of one billion," said Rajan Mathews, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).
The solution may lie in 11-digit phone numbers but Department of Telecom (DoT) is also looking at alternatives.
"The numbers will have to be increased by at least one digit to accommodate new devices. However, to ensure there's absolutely no scope for any problem, we may even see the introduction of 12 digit numbers," said Biswas.
"Trai has made some recommendations like getting rid of inactive users to free up phone numbers and getting more than a million landline numbers to be used in the mobile domain," said Mathews. "While these are small numbers in the overall picture, they can help for another three-six months."
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"There might be a serious problem if a new series of numbers are not brought in by the middle of next year. We are theoretically reaching the limit of existing number sets with a subscriber base of one billion," said Rajan Mathews, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).
The solution may lie in 11-digit phone numbers but Department of Telecom (DoT) is also looking at alternatives.
"The numbers will have to be increased by at least one digit to accommodate new devices. However, to ensure there's absolutely no scope for any problem, we may even see the introduction of 12 digit numbers," said Biswas.
"Trai has made some recommendations like getting rid of inactive users to free up phone numbers and getting more than a million landline numbers to be used in the mobile domain," said Mathews. "While these are small numbers in the overall picture, they can help for another three-six months."
Read More . . . .