FAQ

The Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC) supports the implementation of Local Number Portability and is the system used to facilitate number porting in the United States. Comprised of seven regional systems across the U.S., the NPAC manages the number portability processes of all telecom Service Providers in the United States, including wireline, wireless, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Service Providers and Providers of Telecom-Related Services (PTRS) can use NPAC data for call rating, routing and billing. The types of portability supported include:

• Service Provider Portability, which enables users to change providers and retain their telephone number
• Location (Geographic) Portability, which depending on the geographic location and type of line, allows users to change from one geographic area to another while retaining their telephone number.

Certain NPAC data elements are available to specific, qualified companies that rely on quick and accurate access to this data. Services that require a separate  registration and signed agreement, include:

• PortData Comply -- available to businesses that must comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the data can be used exclusively for verifying if a telephone number has been ported between wireless and wireline, which is one of the essential elements needed for TCPA compliance.
• PortData Source -- Available to Law Enforcement and Public Safety Agencies via the online, the data is used exclusively for verifying the porting history, service provider ownership and service provider contact information for a specific telephone number
• PortData Validate -- Available to businesses that use telephone numbers as part of their fraud mitigation and risk assessment service, the data can be used exclusively for verifying the porting history and service provider ownership for a specific telephone number.

Even if you are already registered as a PTRS User, you must register separately for each service depending upon your Permitted Use.

There are three reasons for a telephone number to be ported:

1. Inter-carrier or competitive porting; when a telephone number moves from the current service provider to a new service provider.
2. Intra-carrier porting; when a telephone number moves from one switch to another within the same telecommunications service provider's network.
3. Number pooling; when a telephone number moves to a new service provider in blocks of 1,000 to create an inventory of unassigned telephone numbers

iconectiv is the LNPA for the United States. As the LNPA, iconectiv manages seven regional databases that make up the U.S. NPAC, which:

• Facilitates the porting of telephone numbers
• Distributes ported number information to service providers for their network administration
• Facilitates mass changes, such as location routing number (LRN) transfers

The NPAC serves seven regions in the United States. 

Once you become an authorized NPAC user, you will be able to interact with the NPAC/SMS in the following ways:

• Service Order Activation (SOA): The SOA is used to communicate information to the NPAC SMS and back to the service provider.
•  Local Service Management System (LSMS): The LSMS is used to receive information from the NPAC/SMS and serves as the database for all information required for direct call routing information when a customer changes service providers
• Low Technology Interface (LTI): The LTI is the graphical user interface (GUI) that can be used instead of the SOA to communicate information to the NPAC/SMS
• NPAC Help Desk: You can contact the NPAC Help Desk to speak with a representative
• Service Bureau: A third-party service bureau can help you interact with the NPAC indirectly

For more information on accessing or interacting with the NPAC, click here.

Currently, eligible users include authorized Service Providers and authorized Providers of Telecom Related Services (PTRS). While NPAC access is available exclusively to service providers and PTRS, certain key number portability data elements are available for law enforcement and public safety, TCPA compliance and fraud mitigation and risk assessment. Download the Power of Number Porting document for more information.

Any entity, including affiliates or subsidiaries, to which you provide NPAC User data or data derived from NPAC User data, must also be a registered NPAC User.

iconectiv has developed training materials for all users. Some training materials can be found here. Once you are registered, you will be able to access additional training materials on the Training tab of the NPAC Customer Portal. 

Primary contacts can login into the NPAC Customer Portal to enter additional primary contacts. Primary contacts can also contact the Help Desk for help adding contacts.

In many cases the Service Provider OCN (Operating Company Number) is used as a Service Provider ID (SPID). The Local Number Portability Administrator (LNPA) assigns SPIDs and may choose to use a company’s OCN as their SPID. In other cases, the SPID is unrelated to the OCN.

In 1996, the FCC passed the Telecommunications Act to increase competition among service providers. Among other things, the law stated that service providers must participate and pay for LNP in the U.S. The NPAC was created to support the implementation of LNP shortly after the Act was passed. 

Bills are issued monthly and can be accessed on the billing portal via the NPAC Customer Portal. Users can also request for bills to be mailed or emailed. 

Every telecommunications service nationwide is required to report end user revenue information on the FCC 499A form and submit it to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). iconectiv then uses this information to create the customer’s allocated percentage rate, the formula for which is the customer’s individual end user revenue information divided by the sum total of all end user revenues reported by all customers who have reported revenue in the same region as the individual customer. 

All forms must be filled out in April of each year. A copy of the 499A form is available online.

Based on a mandate set by the FCC in 1997, all telecommunications service providers are responsible for sharing in the cost of the LNP service. The Federal Code of Regulations (CFR) TITLE 47, Telecommunication, PART 52 requires telecommunications carriers to pay the shared costs of Local Number Portability Administration (LNPA). For more information, click here.

In most situations, the increase may be due to an increased number of direct charges billed from one month to the next. These could include, generating reports via the NPAC system, purchase of log-on ID’s, etc. Increase in charges may also come from adjusted 499A filings that could change your regional allocation percentage. If this does not describe your situation over the past month, contact our Billing Help Desk at: (844) 560-8050.

Allocable charges are determined based on the end-user revenue and service provider revenue filed on the FCC 499-A form that service providers submit to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). Information from that form is used to calculate the amount service providers are billed.  The fee for the shared costs of LNPA for each applicable billable year is defined as the All-Region Flat Fee in the MSA between iconectiv and NAPM, LLC.   Allocated Payors with zero end-user revenue and zero carrier’s carrier revenue and additional Allocated Payors that are categorized as exempt by USAC are excluded.

Additionally, any filer that reports only carrier revenue with no end user revenue, they will be charged only $100 per region per year.

The 499-A form must be filed with the Universal Services Administration Co (USAC). Users will need to supply the company’s Filer ID#. Once the Filer ID# is provided, USAC will work with the company to correct/update your 499-A information. 

Contact information on the 499-A form can be updated here.

Companies that are no longer in business should contact the USAC at 888-641-8722 AND email the NPAC to notify iconectiv of the change in status (LNPA-Acct-Mgmt@iconectiv.numberportability.com).

Companies will need to provide the USAC with appropriate documentation to verify that the company has ceased business operations. The USAC will then notify iconectiv that the company is no longer in business. Once that information is received and processed, the company will no longer receive NPAC bills. 

Outstanding charges will not be collected if:

• The customer’s termination date is prior to the charges billed
• The customer satisfactorily documented their “out of business” status 
• The USAC has sent notification that appropriate filings are complete

In Chapter 11 situations, the customer will still be responsible for payment if LNP charges are assessed after the bankruptcy filing date.

LNP stands for Local Number Portability. It is also referred to as number portability or number porting. Mobile number portability (MNP) or wireless number portability (WNP) refer to a type of LNP related to wireless or mobile numbers. 

 LNP was created as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to give consumers the choice and convenience of keeping their wireline or wireless telephone number when switching from one service provider to another. Prior to LNP, consumers were required to get a new telephone number every time they switched service providers. Note that for wireline numbers, there are some geographical limitations to the consumer’s ability to porting their number.

For more technical information regarding how LNP works, click here

The NAPM LLC was formed to manage the contracts for the Local Number Portability administrator(s) following the orders and directions from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

In 1995 and 1996, several states began the process of selecting the architecture to be used for LNP in their respective states. 

After considerable discussion and deliberation, AT&T/Lucent Technologies' Location Routing Number (LRN) architecture was selected. The LRN method became the industry standard and later was adopted by the FCC in 1997. 

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 provided a pro-competitive, de-regulated national policy framework designed to open local telecommunications markets to competition.

The FCC issued its First Report and Order (adopted June 27, 1996) in Docket 95-116 providing the regulatory framework for LNP. Other LNP-related FCC Orders and Code of Federal Regulations are posted at the LNPA WG website.

LRN stands for Location Routing Number, a unique 10-digit telephone number assigned to each switch to support call routing. The LRN serves as the network address and includes the area code (NPA) and central office code (NXX) for a telephone number. The assignment of a LRN to telephone numbers allows for LNP.

While NPAC User Data is restricted to authorized NPAC users only, the NPA-NXX associated with an LRN is available to non-NPAC users. For a list of companies that will supply this information to non-NPAC users, click here

A SPID (service provider ID) is a unique four-character alphanumeric value that is assigned by the LNPA to an NPAC User. The SPID is a key data element for most NPAC related activities, including porting, to identify the NPAC User. Each NPAC User may have one or more SPIDs. For Service Providers, their OCN is usually used as their NPAC SPID. The SPID for other NPAC Users, known as Providers of Telecommunications Related Services, is determined by the LNPA. Service Providers may also request SPIDs to represent other entities, such as resellers or Mobile Virtual Network Operators. Those entities are referred to as “alternative SPID” or alt SPIDfor porting purposes.

A Service Provider that accesses the NPAC via a direct Local Service Management System (LSMS) or Service Order Administration (SOA) interface, is considered a Service Provider with mechanized access. If you access the NPAC exclusively through the Low-Tech Interface (LTI), through a third party, or exclusively via the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) or Help Desk, then you are considered a non-mechanized user.

iconectiv must comply with the terms of the LNPA Code of Conduct which includes a requirement that iconectiv be subject to semiannual independent audits. In addition, based on those audits, an outside attorney issues a legal opinion semiannually as to whether iconectiv is, and has been, a neutral third party.

If you believe iconectiv has failed to be a neutral third party, you can submit a written complaint and either hand-deliver it during normal business hours or mail it (first-class mail, postage prepaid) to the following address:

                              iconectiv Compliance Officer

                              iconectiv, LLC

                              100 Somerset Corp. Blvd.

                              Bridgewater, NJ 08807

You will receive a response within 30 calendar days of the time-stamped receipt of the complaint.

If it is determined a neutrality violation has taken place, iconectiv will follow the process and terms outlined in the MSA and develop a corrective action plan in conjunction with the NAPM LLC and the FCC to cure the violation. 

The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Automated Telephone Number Lookup System is a telephone-based service that provides information on ported telephone numbers. Registration is done through the NPAC Customer Portal. Once registered, users can check up to 20 telephone numbers per session by calling 877-295-9707 and entering their PIN.

Once an authorized NPAC user, a NPAC IVR PIN can be requested through the NPAC customer portal. PIN(s) will be available with 24-48 hours. Instructions for retrieving the NPAC IVR access PIN(s) will be provided to the primary registration contact.

“Not ported” means the telephone number has not been moved to another service provider. It still resides with the service provider originally assigned the telephone number’s area code and prefix. You can use the NANPA to look up the originally assigned carrier of an area code and prefix.

 The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is the numbering plan for the public switched telephone network for Canada, the US and its territories, and the Caribbean. The North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) holds the overall responsibility for the neutral administration of NANP number resources, subject to directives from regulatory authorities. 

NPAC Service Management System (SMS) users must operate under the coverage of all applicable insurance requirements that are specified in the user agreement.

Proof of insurance demonstrates that a company is able to cover general liability conditions, such as physical injury, property damage or personal injury that may occur during your business’ operations.

1. iconectiv, LLC., 100 Somerset Corporate Blvd. Bridgewater, NJ 08807
   

Users have two options:

1. Users can name iconectiv on the Certificate of Insurance as an Additional Insured. 
2. Users may have an Endorsement to their insurance policy that permits the user to include a person or organization, in this case iconectiv, as an Additional Insured on the user's policy without having them listed as an Additional Insured on the Certificate of Insurance. 

No, articles of incorporation confirm that the company has been legally formed but do not provide any proof of insurance coverage. As such, articles of incorporation do not represent proof that a user has an actual valid or effective insurance policy that meets the required coverage limits for general liability and workmen’s compensation insurance. 

All Users and PTRS Users, which is technically what Service Bureaus are, need to follow the same registration process and provide the same information. This is consistent with the current registration process. 

Originally commissioned as a working group under the NANC (North American Numbering Council) the LNPA WG (Local Number Portability Administration Working Group) dealt with Number Portability issues and processes/procedures. In December 2018 it was renamed the TOSC (Transition Oversight Sub Committee) and dealt primarily with issues related to the transition of NPAC from the previous vendor to iconectiv.

After the re-chartering of the NANC, the group became The Informal LNP Team until November of 2020 when the group restructured into the Number Portability Industry Forum (NPIF).  The NPIF works with the NAOWG (Number Administration Oversight Working Group) on any issues that require the involvement of NANC and continues its mission to manage processes/procedures and issues related to Number Portability.  For more information visit: https://workinggroup.numberportability.com/ 

The NPIF meets monthly, alternating between conference calls and face-to-face meetings.  The meeting location varies and may be anywhere in the United States and sometimes Canada.  A conference bridge is provided for all meetings. Please see Meeting Location and Agendas on the NPIF website for current meeting information.

The group focuses on operational and technical aspects of number portability by way of issue management, recommending best practices, and identifying NPAC enhancements. The activity of the group has a direct bearing on the processes and systems that each Service Provider uses to participate in number portability. For additional information about the full scope of the NPIF visit: https://workinggroup.numberportability.com/.

To subscribe to the NPIF email list, send an email to the CMA (cma@iconectiv.numberportability.com) and copy the NPIF chairpersons listed on https://workinggroup.numberportability.com/.  Please make sure your company can accept email from this domain, LNPAWG@list.numberportability.com.

Any questions regarding the distribution list, can be sent via email to cma@iconectiv.numberportability.com.

Yes, every Provider of Telecom-Related Services (PTRS) User and their customers who receive the data or derived data must register regardless of how often they access the data.

Yes, every Provider of Telecom-Related Services (PTRS) User and their customers who receive the data or derived data must register regardless of how often they access the data.

The different categories of NPAC users include:

• Service Providers – Telecommunication companies that provide service to end-users or customers.
• Providers of Telecom-Related Services – A group that accesses the NPAC to route, bill or rate calls or to perform network maintenance. This includes Service Bureaus, which are third party users that access the NPAC on behalf of their customers 

In addition, certain key number portability data elements are available for law enforcement and public safety, TCPA compliance and fraud mitigation and risk assessment. Download the Power of Number Porting document for more information.

You are a Service Provider if you meet all of the following criteria:

•     Possess an Operating Company Number (OCN) issued from the National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA)
•     Hold Operating Authority, Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN), Radio License or VoIP Proof of Numbering
•     Participate in porting numbers

If you require access to NPAC data, you may qualify as a PTRS user if you:

• Route, bill or rate telephone calls or perform network maintenance in connection with providing or facilitating the provision of telecommunications services in support of Service Providers
• Are an interconnected VoIP provider that is not eligible to obtain numbering resources from the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) directly and instead must partner with a facilities-based Public Switched Telephone Number (PSTN) Service Provider to obtain NANPA numbering resources and connectivity to the PSTN
• Are a non-facilities-based reseller of interconnected VoIP services that uses the number resources and facilities of an interconnected VoIP provider or a traditional PSTN reseller
• Are a Service Bureau performing porting work on behalf of a Service Provider who is a registered NPAC user.

Registration instructions differ for each user group:

• Service Providers or Providers of Telecom-Related Services (PTRS) can visit the Get Started page.
• Law Enforcement and Public Safety groups that are interested in the Enhanced Law Enforcement Platform (ELEP) or Interactive Voice Response (IVR) service should visit https://lawenforcement.numberportability.com/registration/ to register.
• Businesses that must comply with the Wireless Do Not Call laws should visit https://marketers.numberportability.com/registration/ to register.
• Companies that assess risk and mitigate fraud should visit https://portdata.numberportability.com/get-started/

There is no fee for Service Provider registrations. Since Providers of Telecom Related Services (PTRS) are required to go through a New User Evaluator (NUE) process, there is a non-refundable fee for that evaluation. 

All applicants must provide information regarding their company, Operating Authority (if applicable), valid use cases, and insurance. 

In addition, all Service Providers must provide:

• An Operating Company Number (OCN)
• Proof of Operating Authority, Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, FCC Radio License, or FCC VoIP Proof of Numbering
• 499-A Filer ID from Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC)

If you are unfamiliar with the 499-A ID, see the FAQs in the Billing section. 

The estimated turnaround time for each form ounce properly completed and submitted is as follows:

• Non-disclosure agreement (NDA): iconectiv will return a countersigned NDA with a New User Application (NUA) in five to seven business days.
• New user application (NUA): iconectiv will respond within 10 business days with one or more pre-populated Regional User Agreement (RUA).
• Regional User Agreement (RUA): iconectiv will respond within 10 business days with a countersigned Regional User Agreement (RUA) and then registration will be complete.

The estimated turnaround time for each form once properly completed and submitted is as follows:

• Non-disclosure agreement (NDA): iconectiv will return a countersigned NDA with a New User Application (NUA) in five to seven business days.
• New User Application (NUA)/New User Evaluation (NUE) process: This can take up to 60 days to complete.
• Regional User Agreement (RUA): iconectiv will respond within 10 business days with a countersigned Regional User agreement (RUA) and then registration will be complete.
• Regional User agreement (RUA) and then registration will be complete.

Providers of Telecom-Related Services (PTRS) must go through a New User Evaluator (NUE) process, which can take up to 60 days to complete. As such, Providers of Telecom-Related Services applicants are encouraged to apply in all NPAC regions to avoid having to go through the application process again if additional regional data is needed.

Yes, iconectiv offers TruNumber Finder, a service that is separate from the NPAC.  TruNumber Finder simplifies telephone number management, confirms customer acquisition and enhances customer service by providing a full, fast and accurate view of the information needed to trouble-shoot call-completion and telephone number porting issues. In order to subscribe to TruNumber Finder, the company must be a registered NPAC User.

The BFR is a written notice regarding a pending port-out request, sent from a porting-in provider to the provider of record for the end user. If this provider of record has never received a port-out request, their switch may not have been set up to port. Once the BFR has been received by provider of record, this BFR explains the time intervals in which that provider must get their network set up to honor the port. Other references are: FCC 96-286, FCC 97-074, FCC 02-16, FCC 03-126, FCC 03-237 and 47 C.F.R. § 52.23 and 52.31.

Per Title 47 C.F.R. § 52.23 (c) all local exchange carriers (LECs) must provide number portability in compliance with these regulations. 

(c) All LECs must make a long-term database method for number portability available within six months after a specific request by another telecommunications carrier in areas in which that telecommunications carrier is operating or plans to operate.

The help desk can be reached via email at npac@iconectiv.numberportability.com or by calling 844-820-8039.

The Billing Help Desk can be reached by calling 844-560-8050 or via email. Please remember to prominently include the account name or invoice number in the email, preferably in the subject line.

For general IVR questions, email IVR@iconectiv.numberportability.com or call the NPAC Help Desk at (844) 820-8039.

The NPAC Support section includes four key sections.

1. Service Catalog, which includes information related to Bulk Data Download, Connectivity, Porting Services, Reports, Security and Access, Subscription Version (SV) Requests and Testing.

2. Knowledge Base, which includes information related to Billing, Forms, Methods and Procedures (M&Ps), Porting Services, Reports and User Manuals. There is also a technical FAQ section.

3. Open a ticket, which allows you to submit a request for assistance.

4. Start a chat, which connects you with a member of our customer support team.