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, call routing, call billing and telecommunications network maintenance. The types of portability the supported include:
In addition, certain NPAC data elements are available to specific, qualified companies whose businesses rely on quick and accurate access to this data. These services, which require a separate registration, include:
There are three reasons for a telephone number to be ported:
iconectiv is the LNPA for the United States. As the LNPA, iconectiv manages seven regional databases that make up the U.S. NPAC. The NPAC provides critical data that allows for:
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:
For more information on how accessing or interacting with the NPAC, click here.
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.
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 providers of telecom-related services, 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.
The LNPA WG is a subcommittee of the NANC (North American Numbering Council), an advisory body to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). The LNPA WG was formed at the behest of the FCC to develop technical requirements for the centralized data base approach to local number portability.
Anyone can participate in the LNPA WG's meetings. However, when the LNPA WG makes a decision, it is the entities subject to local number portability regulatory mandates that drive the discussion.
The LNPA WG was given the charter by the North American Number Council (NANC) for implementing Local Number Portability (LNP) on a national level.
The LNPA WG meets monthly, alternating between conference calls and face-to-face meetings. The meeting location varies and may be anywhere in the United States. Every year or so, an LNPA WG meeting is held in Canada. A conference bridge is provided for all face-to-face meetings.
Please see Meeting Logistics for current meeting information.
The LNPA WG is an open forum sponsored by the North American Numbering Council (NANC) to facilitate the implementation of LNP. It is open to all wireline and wireless service providers, as well as all vendors. There are no requirements for joining, just show up and participate.
The LNPA WG is responsible for developing and recommending NPAC/SMS functionality requirements. New requirements are documented in the form of Change Orders. (The decision on whether to purchase a Change Order recommended by the LNPA WG is made by another body.) The LNPA WG also serves as a clearing house for issues arising due to the introduction of local number portability through its Problem Investigation Process ("PIM"). In some cases, the LNPA WG resolves the problem; in others, the LNPA WG refers the problem to another industry committee for resolution.
To subscribe to the new LNPAWG email list, visit https://maillist.numberportability.com. Create a ListServ account by clicking on “get a new LISTSERV password” and enter your email address and choose a password. Click on the list LNPAWG and then click subscribe at the right of your screen. You will receive a confirmation email with a link to complete your subscription. Please make sure your company can accept email from this domain, LNPAWG@list.numberportability.com.
If you have any questions regarding the LNPAWG distribution list send email to cma@iconectiv.numberportability.com
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’s 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:
In Chapter 11 situations, the customer will still be responsible for payment if LNP charges are assessed after the bankruptcy filing date.
Yes, every Service Provider and Provider of Telecom-Related Services (PTRS) must register, even those that only use the NPAC occasionally, those that work through a third party to do porting or access NPAC data and Read Only users.
Every Service Provider and Provider of Telecom-Related Services that intends to use the NPAC or NPAC data must register, even those that only use the NPAC occasionally or work through a third party to do porting or access NPAC data.
The different categories of NPAC users include:
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:
If you require access to NPAC data, you may qualify as a PTRS user if you:
Registration instructions differ for each user group:
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:
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:
The estimated turnaround time for each form once properly completed and submitted is as follows:
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.
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
https://www.napmllc.org/pages/home.aspx
negotiates and manages all contracts associated with LNP administration including managing the contract of the Local Number Portability Administrator (LNPA) with regards to:
· Pricing
· Permitted Uses of NPAC data
· Completion of agreements with vendors such as the LNPA including enhancement of the NPAC
· Monitoring the performance of the LNPA
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 altSPIDfor 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.
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.
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.
Users have two options:
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.
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.
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