USA Expands Number Portability

Phase 2 of the USA's deployment of mobile number portability went live yesterday, bringing the service to the entire country. Until now, the service was limited to the "top100" markets in the USA. The initial phase of LNP went into effect in November 2003 in the top 100 markets across the country, which in New England, included Boston, Hartford (CT), Providence (RI) and Springfield (MA).

Today, customers residing outside these markets in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and the remaining towns in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut now have the ability to locally port their number when switching wireless providers.

Consumers can also now transfer a number from a landline to a cellphone if the exchange -- the three digits following the area code -- falls within the same geographic area."

Posted to the site on 25th May 2004