What is LNP?

What is LNP (Local Number Portability) or Number Portability
Answer: LNP or Number portability Porting a DID number means that you can leave your current carrier, and move your number to another carrier, that has network in that same area code.

Suppose one of your customers have a number with Vonage, or Verizon, or AT&T and you want to port it over to virtualphoneline.com , You can very much do so.

DownSide:
Some Companies may still NOT allow you to port the number, or charge you a contract breaking fee etc, to port the number away.

One risk is that number might get ported in but you can't get it back out, at which point you're stuck. At the current time AT&T VOIP won't take over any VSP (VOIP Service Provider) numbers. If you're a Vonage customer and want to move, your only choice is a new number. The safest thing to do is start with a number from the old incumbent phone company ILEC, then port it to the VoIP provider. Should you need to switch VoIP providers you have a better chance at keeping your number.

In the USA number porting (LNP) is regulated by the FCC regulation and managed by NPAC (Number Portabilty Administration Center), read their NPAC LNP Introduction and Overview.

What is Generally needed?

Generally porting a number involves

• Filling out a form
• Copy of an old bill
• Call Logs of old Number

How Much time does it take ?
In United States it then takes up to 30 days; sometimes it's quick though. in Pakistan it takes 4 days.
Suggestion: Don't cancel the old service till afterward.

See Also

• NPAC
• NPAC LNP Introduction and Overview
• ENUM
• DID
• Wikipedia - Local Number Portability article
• LNP In Pakistan