TRAI proposes 11-digit mobile numbers to meet future needs

New Delhi: The telecom regulator on Friday suggested using 11-digit numbers for mobile phones, instead of 10 digits, to ensure adequate numbering resources for user base growth in the future, but advised against migration to a unified numbering system for mobiles and landlines. “Switching from 10 to 11 digits with first digit for mobile number as ‘9’ would give a total capacity of 10 billion numbers,” Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said in its recommendations to the telecom department on ways to free up underutilised numbering resources and reallocate them for future needs. “With the current policy of allotment after 70% utilisation, this would suffice till India has seven billion connections. This could mean liberal allocation to service providers and administrative ease,” it said.