Vodafone Essar enjoys biggest gain from MNP

According to figures from the Department of Telecom (DoT), a total of 1,979,600 subscribers have ported their numbers since the recent introduction of nationwide mobile number portability (MNP) on 20 January. Vodafone Essar has gained the most, with 190,000 customers switching to the cellco, while state-owned BSNL has emerged as the biggest loser after shedding more customers than it gained. The overall trend has seen subscribers moving away from CDMA operators such as Reliance and Tata, and switching to GSM providers like Vodafone, Idea Cellular (the second largest to gain with 150,000), and Bharti (third with 148,000).