Local Number Portability (LNP)

History of Local Number Portability (LNP)

Local Number Portability (LNP) gives telephone customers the ability to retain their local 10-digit telephone number (NPA.NXX.XXXX) if they decide to switch to another local telephone service provider. With the implementation of the Telecommunications Acts of 1996, Local Exchange Carriers (LECs) in the 100 largest metropolitan markets were required to provide this capability by the end of 1998. In 2003, the FCC expanded local number portability and mandated that all wireless service providers implement local portability by the end of 2004.

Today customers can port their telephone numbers wireline-to-wireline, wireless-to-wireless, and wireline-to-wireless and still keep their same original phone number.

Presently Neustar serves as the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) and the Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC) which is responsible for Local Number Portability management and support activities.

Implementation of Local Number Portability (LNP)

Prior to LNP carriers leveraged the Local Exchange Routing Guide (LERG)1 to determine where telephone codes homed within the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The LERG provides a host of information including homed switch CLLI, location and companies owning the telephone numbers.

To support LNP, Local Routing Numbers (LRNs) were introduced and injected within the routing scheme. Local Routing Numbers, not dialed digits, become the steering digits to determine both originating and terminating information. While the LERG will provide an address of code block holders (i.e. LERG 6), Local Routing Numbers provide the lower-level information to actually pinpoint who owns that specific telephone number. Since LRNs are required to support both Pooling and Porting activities, the overall impact of Local Number Portability to traffic and margin management continues to increase..

Figure 1: Pre/Post LNP implementation

Impact of Local Number Portability (LNP)

Local Number Portability changes all the traffic management procedures. A simple reference to the LERG may not be enough to obtain accurate results. Carriers now need to incorporate LNP into their solutions to support routing, planning, auditing and strategic activities. Without incorporating LNP carriers cannot fully answer the following questions:

Where is outbound traffic terminating? Switch? Carrier?
Where is inbound traffic originating? Carrier? Intra-MTA or Inter-MTA?
Are Trunk Groups (TGs) sized optimally for new traffic?
Are the Inter-carrier agreement (ICA) ratios correct? Are we excluding transit traffic?
Are the reciprocal compensation bills correct?

With porting and pooling activity growing, the number of Telephone Numbers (TNs) listed within the LNP database has increased by over 50% in just four years (See Figure 2). This growth is due in part to new devices like the iPhone causing customers to change providers as well as network evolution from 2G to 3G and finally 4G.

Figure 2: Growth of TNs within LNP Database

Growth of TNs within LNP Database

Connectiv Solutions’ Approach towards Local Number Portability (LNP)

Based on our 2009 White Paper, Local Number Portability (LNP) – The Hidden Network Expense, Connectiv Solutions calculated that over 35% of all long distance calls were impacted by Local Number Portability. This percentage will likely rise as new service providers and phones enter the marketplace. Connectiv Solutions incorporates an independent LNP lookup into our solutions so that every record being analyzed is dipped independently. Our independent LNP dip supports both inbound and outbound traffic to ensure the most accurate results. With Connectiv Solutions, we take the guessing out of the analysis.

Key Points:

LNP affects all aspects of Traffic Management
LNP impacts over 35% of all domestic long distance traffic
If your solution does not incorporate LNP for both inbound and outbound traffic, it likely has errors that are costing you significant dollars and time
Connectiv Solutions incorporates LNP to ensure the right strategy is in place

Footnote:
LERG is a registered trademark of Telecordia.

Vertical Markets • Mobile • Cable • CLEC • VOIP • Broadband • LD