22 February,2011 06:47 AM IST | | Vinod Kumar Menon
Service provider sends out bulk alerts to subscribers asking them to resubmit documents by February 28
Around 3 lakh people, who have been using Dolphin mobileu00a0 service for years, were taken back by a message from the service provider, asking them to re-submit their documents at the nearest MTNL centre by February 28.
Though re-verification is a routine thing where people subscribing to a service provider for two or more years are asked to re-submit their documents, Dolphin users were caught unawares as the service provider "never informed them about the process".
Rahul Punjabi, a call centre executive, said, "I have already submitted my details at the time of getting a dolphin SIM card, so why are they asking for my personal details and photographs again? My line would get deactivated if I do not submit the details within the stipulated time."
But General Manager (customer care and commercial for mobile services), MTNL, Gunjan Dave said that they were just following the Department of Telecom (DoT) directive. "The re-verification exercise is applicable to both Dolphin and Trumph customers.
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Around 23 lakh people are using Trumph, while around 3 lakh people are using Dolphin services in the city. We are sending reminder messages to our customers, asking them to fulfill the requirement to avoid any future deactivation."
On inquiring about the reason for re-verification, she said, "It is due to some security reasons."
Strict documentation for the re-verification process remains a worry for the customers as well for mobile companies because they stand to lose a large chunk of subscribers. And with number portability service in force, the chances of losing customers increase more.
A senior DoT official from Delhi said, "The department had passed notification on October 20, 2010 giving three months time to mobile companies to undertake the re-verification exercise."
But those service providers who apparently sat on the DoT order are now rushing things in a bid to meet the deadline, causing inconvenience to the customers.
As per the DoT notification, region-specific documents such as domicile certificate, caste certificate, certificate from village panchayat or headman, voter ID card issued before 2008, and even electricity bill, have been made unacceptable for re-verification, making it near impossible for the outstation subscribers to clear the test.
As per the estimates of the mobile companies, nearly 80 per cent of the rural subscribers will fail to produce the required documents and hence go off the mobile loop if the process was not simplified.
Union Home Secretary G K Pillai told MiD DAY that no fresh instruction had been given to the telecom companies.
"If they are conducting re-verification test now, it may be on the basis of an earlier order," he said.
Other private service providers admitted that the re-verification process was being carried out and they had sent alerts to their customers.
The service providers are expected to submit the documents to DOT by March 31.
