TNPDCL to replace 3,110 Airtel CUG numbers with Jio SIMs after portability dispute

For five days, customers have been unable to reach Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL) officials to register complaints because their phone numbers were defunct. TNPDCL is replacing the existing Airtel closed user group (CUG) connections of 3,110 field engineers and officers with new Reliance Jio SIMs. A TNPDCL official said the previous telecom contractor, Airtel, did not allow migration to a different network using number portability, in violation of TRAI guidelines. TNPDCL chairman and managing director V Arun Roy said the new numbers will be active within a day or two. TNPDCL has a total of 21,953 CUG mobile connections, including 17,919 on BSNL and 3,110 on Airtel. The Airtel connections were part of a two-year contract signed in 2022, with TNPDCL paying ₹116.23 per connection per month; the contract had been extended for a year, according to TNPDCL.