Industry Analysis Case Study

Mobile Number Portability in Indian Telecom Industry: The Disruptive Effects and Competitive Responses

OR

Abstract:
This case study, meant to be discussed in ‘Strategy’ course, enables an interesting discussion on how the regulatory authorities (and therefore, in the case of highly regulated industries) can cause disruptions (or bring about disruptive innovations) in a firm’s operations and how should firms in the industry respond. Set in the backdrop of the Indian telecom industry, this case study, while providing an overview of the Indian telecom industry – the players, their market shares, their offerings, etc., also takes the reader through the evolution of telecom technology in Indian market. Touted to be one of its kinds, the much awaited new technology, Mobile Number Portability (MNP) – for which the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) gave its nod in mid-2009 – has set the subscriber free. Under MNP services, the subscribers can change their operator without losing their existing mobile number. It makes the consumer free, but pressurises the telecom operators to initiate various strategies not only to attract new customers, but on the flip side, to play tactics to retain the existing customer from shifting. On the other hand, it also promises the betterment of services to be offered by the operator.

Pedagogical Objectives:

The case attempts to achieve the following pedagogical objectives:
• To analyse the importance and the key elements of the mobile number probability in the telecom industry
• To understand the mobile number portability experience in different countries
• To understand the probable effects of MNP in changing the Indian telecom landscape and the necessary measures to be adopted by telecom operators to gain from the potential opportunities arising out of mobile number portability.

Keywords : Industry Analysis, Industry Structure, Disruptive Moves, Regulatory Disruptions, Industry Changes, Mobile Number Portability, Telecom industry, Indian Telecom Industry, The effect of Regulation