New Delhi, July 2 (IANS): Bharti Airtel is set to launch national mobile number portability (MNP) from July 3, the company said on Thursday.

Mobile customers from the operator across India can now retain their mobile number while moving between states. This, however, will not be applicable for customers moving to Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the northeast owing to security reasons, the company mentioned.

Porting requests within Airtel network will be processed in 24 hours, the company said, adding that: "Airtel customers will enjoy free incoming on roaming while their request is processed. Customers on Airtel can transfer their prepaid balance and carry forward postpaid unbilled/billed amount."

"Today, not only has mobile phone become an essential part of our lives, the mobile number has equally become an indispensable identification for each one of us. With our complete readiness to launch MNP, we aim to empower customers enabling them to retain this identity as they move across anywhere in the country," Ajai Puri, director - market operations of Bharti Airtel said.

"To facilitate a seamless transition we will also allow our customers to enjoy free incoming on roaming while their number portability request is being processed."