*Pages 1--1 from Microsoft Word - 44176.doc* NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th Street, S. W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D. C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418- 0500 Internet: http:// www. fcc. gov TTY: 1- 888- 835- 5322 For Immediate Release: News Media contacts: November 24, 2004 Rosemary Kimball at (202) 418- 0511 e- mail: rosemary. kimball@ fcc. gov Israel Balderas at (202) 513- 4531 e- mail: israel. balderas@ fcc. gov FCC OBSERVES FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF WIRELESS LOCAL NUMBER PORTABILITY 8.5 Million Wireless Ports Reported Since Wireless Porting Began on November 24, 2003 Washington, DC -- November 24, 2004, marks one year that mobile phone customers have been able to change carriers and keep their phone number. Wireless local number portability (LNP) eliminated a barrier to full competition in mobile telephone services and between landline and wireless services. For one full year, consumers have been able to change phone companies, wireless- to- wireless, wireless- to- wireline or wireline- to- wireless, within a local area, and keep their phone number. Previously, consumers wishing to change wireless carriers were required to get a new number from the new phone company. This was a great deterrent to changing carriers and stopped many consumers from taking advantage of better rates or better plans offered by competing carriers. Wireless LNP eliminates the inconvenience of changing phone numbers. Since November 24, 2003, more than 8.5 million consumers have taken advantage of wireless LNP. Just under 10 percent of those consumers “cut the cord” and moved a landline number to a wireless phone. In the short period since the introduction of wireless LNP, consumers have ported more than twice as many numbers among wireless carriers as consumers did among landline carriers in the first year that landline LNP was available. Consumers interested in taking a phone number to a new carrier should go first to the new carrier, and should bring a copy of their current wireless phone bill. According to industry guidelines, ports between wireless carriers should take about two and a half hours. Ports to or from landline carriers likely require several days to complete. - FCC - 1