RFC 3482 (rfc3482) - Page 1 of 30

Number Portability in the Global Switched Telephone Network (GSTN): An Overview

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Network Working Group                                          M. Foster
Request for Comments: 3482                                    T. McGarry
Category: Informational                                            J. Yu
                                                           NeuStar, Inc.
                                                           February 2003


  Number Portability in the Global Switched Telephone Network (GSTN):
                              An Overview

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this
   memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2003).  All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

   This document provides an overview of E.164 telephone number
   portability (NP) in the Global Switched Telephone Network (GSTN).
   NP is a regulatory imperative seeking to liberalize local telephony
   service competition, by enabling end-users to retain telephone
   numbers while changing service providers.  NP changes the fundamental
   nature of a dialed E.164 number from a hierarchical physical routing
   address to a virtual address, thereby requiring the transparent
   translation of the later to the former.  In addition, there are
   various regulatory constraints that establish relevant parameters for
   NP implementation, most of which are not network technology specific.
   Consequently, the implementation of NP behavior consistent with
   applicable regulatory constraints, as well as the need for
   interoperation with the existing GSTN NP implementations, are
   relevant topics for numerous areas of IP telephony works-in-progress
   with the IETF.














Foster, et al.               Informational
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