SprintPCS Preparing for Mobile Number Portability

The USA based CDMA carrier, SprintPCS has demonstrated continued progress with plans for local number portability (LNP), the federal rule that will allow wireless customers to keep the same mobile phone number if they switch carriers. Earlier last week, Sprint and Nextel announced their completion of the industry's first Service Level Agreement (SLA) to facilitate the porting of phone numbers between wireless carriers.

Also, in a related announcement, Sprint said its local telecommunications division and its wireless division will allow customers to port their phone numbers. Sprint local telecommunications division customers in certain states will have the option to switch their local phone number to a wireless phone and vice versa.

Although the FCC has not yet responded to several outstanding issues that could negatively impact a customer's porting experience, Sprint is preparing to make the porting process as simple as possible for PCS customers in the absence of FCC direction, said Len Lauer, president and chief operating officer of Sprint and president of the company's PCS division.

"There's a customer-driven need for consistency and predictability in the porting process, to make it simple and straightforward," Lauer said. He added that LNP, however, requires cooperation among carriers and clear direction from the FCC on carrier responsibilities. "Thanks to the porting process that we're on the verge of rolling out, and the progress we are making with other wireless carriers, we're confident that Sprint is doing everything in its power to make the customer experience as easy as possible," Lauer said.

Sprint is in the process of negotiating wireless-to-wireless porting arrangements and has asked the FCC to clarify several outstanding LNP issues. Lauer appealed again to the FCC to act quickly and to clarify rules for portability and consumer issues, particularly in the area of landline-to-wireless porting."

Posted to the site on 7th October 2003