In the Telephone Number Portability First Report and Order, CC Docket 95-116, released July 2, 1996, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established rules mandating number portability for both local-exchange carriers (LECs) and commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) providers. After two extensions, a separate timetable was established for CMRS providers, requiring them to implement number portability by November 24, 2002, including support of nationwide roaming.

Currently, many wireless providers are either selecting vendors or in the early stages of implementing Phase II WNP solutions. Phase I required wireless carriers to complete calls to ported wireline telephone numbers. Phase II requires wireless carriers to provide service-provider portability—i.e., the ability to have wireless subscribers port their directory numbers from one service provider to another. The industry-agreed timeline for implementation of WNP has several important interim milestones to meet the November 24, 2002 deadline set by the FCC mandate. Inter-carrier testing is scheduled to begin in late 2001, with deployment to be production-ready by September 2002.

Wireless carriers face a dual challenge: maximizing the value of their WNP solution while minimizing the cost of its deployment. Many service providers are choosing between a product solution and service bureau approaches based on carrier size. Additionally, they need to focus on what capabilities will be needed to interconnect with other carriers to port numbers. While the Phase II mandate provides new opportunities for attracting customers and generating revenues, it also introduces significant complexity into the wireless provider's network. Thus, it is critical that wireless providers consider the right factors when selecting a WNP solution.