5 Description

22.0663GPPService descriptionStage 1Support of Mobile Number Portability (MNP)TS

Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is the ability for a mobile subscriber to change digital mobile subscription networks within the same country whilst retaining her original DN or DNs. Additional regulatory constraints apply in North America.

North American GSM Number Portability (NAGNP) is the ability for a subscriber to change subscription between North American GSM networks and other subscription networks within an FCC regulated geographical area within North-America.

The IMSI/IMPI shall not be ported, hence the recipient mobile network of the porting process will issue a new IMSI/IMPI for the ported subscription. The porting process may, but need not, include a change in service provider.

The ported subscriber can use exactly the same services as non-ported customers in the same subscription network. That is: whether the DN of a subscriber belongs to a subscription network or is ported to the subscription network shall have no influence on the services offered to the customer by that subscription network.

The services offered by the number range owner network and/or the donor network have no influence on the services offered by the subscription network. When a subscriber ports a DN to a new network then the donor network no longer provides support for the services of the ported number (this includes supplementary and value added services).

NOTE: This also implies that if a service supported in the donor network is not available on the recipient network then number portability mechanisms need not provide that service for the ported subscriber.

A network can be a donor of numbers and a recipient of numbers. A DN can be ported more than once; a ported number can be ported back to its number range owner network. Even after multiple portings, the technical solution shall involve only the number range owner network and recipient network.

The solution for MNP/NAGNP shall have a minimal adverse effect upon the quality of service offered to ported and non-ported subscribers. It may be the case that the quality of service for ported and non-ported subscribers differs slightly (e.g. due to additional call set-up delay).

Any additional delay in call set-up to ported numbers shall be minimised.

The process of porting a number may involve a disruption in service to the customer. The time that no service is available shall be minimised.

The technical implementation of the support of MNP/NAGNPin a network should not impede number availability and efficient use of numbers.

The technical implementation for the support of MNP/NAGNPshall not involve loss of functionality in the number range owner, donor or subscription network.

The technical implementation of MNP/NAGNPshall support optimisation of the use of network and inter-network resources so as to minimise costs associated with transport of traffic and/or appropriate signalling and/or processing activities (e.g. optimal routing).

In addition, for the porting process an efficient and effective way is needed to exchange porting information between all types of network operators.