Workshop on Number Portability

On September 20, 2005, the Permanent Consultative Committee I, Telecommunication Standardization will hold a Workshop on Number Portability.

It is recognized the phenomenal growth in telecommunications technology and services and in particular wireless and IP-based networks that will provide seamless voice, data, image and video communication services over wireless, wireline, satellite, cable and optical fiber transport facilities.

Also, there continues to be a significant and increasing degree of mobility of citizens in the global community both in terms of where they reside and also in terms of national and international travel. Individuals and businesses become known and recognized by their telephone numbers and telephone number changes necessitated for example by a change of physical address or change of service provider can be disruptive and even costly to the business community so some countries have already mandated number portability as a requirement for service licenses.

What is meant by this concept? The ITU has defined it as the ability of consumers to retain a specific number despite changes in service provider, network, or geographical location.

As the Blue Book on Telecommunication Policies for the Americas indicates, "what could be referred to as full portability is a long-term process of successive approximations where it is likely that we will be progressing at different paces depending on the characteristics prevailing in the different countries. It is possible that it will begin with provider portability, that is, the possibility of keeping the same number while changing providers within in the same primary zone; or with service portability, that is, when users keep their number when changing the type of service in the same primary zone; or with geographical portability, which makes it possible to keep the same number despite a change of primary zone. There are various methods of implementing portability, but basically they consist of various schemes of intelligent exchanges that are consulted on how to gain access to a number that having been originally assigned by a company must vary its routing because the user has changed his/her provider or location.

Naturally, there may be significant costs involved if progress is to be made in this area, such as the industry’s initial expenditures to develop the required databases and the capacity to administer them. The cost for operators also increases when switch board centers are modified to permit queries in the databases and, in general, the requirements for improvement in the networks to permit rerouting the numbers that have been displaced.

The advantages of portability, however, amply exceed its costs. For companies, this means that their clients will be able to locate them regardless of the changes that might take place. It involves a radical change of culture; until now the numbers have been controlled by the service provider companies; in the new scenario however, the users have greater control of the numbers. It will be a form of “empowerment” for the users, as it will be much easier to change a provider if the service they are receiving turns out to be deficient. Regarding this, customer loyalty to an operator will no longer be based on the exit barriers but rather on the excellence of the service, thereby stimulating competition in telecommunications, which is decisive to ensure the dynamic growth of a key sector in increasing efficiency and competitiveness in the economy."

Please find below a draft agenda of the Workshop. The coordinators of the Workshop are: Mr. Alberto Zetina of Mexico and Mr. Bruno Ramos of Brazil.

DRAFT AGENDA

WORKSHOP ON NUMBER PORTABILITY

Session 1: SERVICE PROVIDER CHALLENGES IN NUMBER PORTABILITY

Session 2: TECHNOLOGY, STANDARDS AND REGULATORY ISSUES

Session 3: ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

3.1. Questions and answers

3.2. Conclusions and final notes of the Workshop