WASHINGTON-As the Federal Communications Commission considers proposals to select a nationwide number-pooling administrator, two leading contenders are duking it out at the state level in winning pooling contracts.
Number pooling allows telephone numbers to be assigned in thousands-blocks rather than the 10,000-block basis established when North America created area codes in 1947. There are 10,000 numbers in each exchange-denoted by the first three numbers of a seven-digit telephone number. Old wireline technology required that a new exchange be assigned for each rate center.
When competition came to the wireline industry-not to mention the proliferation of second lines, fax machines and wireless devices-numbers started running out since wireline competitors were required to get an entire 10,000-number block for each rate center they wanted to serve. When the competitors didn’t sign up customers at the rate, this often meant that several thousand numbers in some blocks were left unused.
The FCC has said it hopes to implement nationwide number pooling as soon as a contract can be awarded to handle the technical difficulties associated with that task. The agency put out a request for proposals for a nationwide number-pooling administrator in December and expects to make a decision by this summer.
In an effort to lengthen the life of area codes, many states have asked for and received authority to begin pooling numbers before nationwide pooling is implemented. Since number pooling requires technical expertise, both state and federal regulators are contracting out the work.
Telecordia Technologies Inc., the former Bell Research Labs, and NeuStar Inc., the current North American Numbering Plan Administrator, are in the running at the federal level and have received contracts at the state level.
Both companies are fighting for the federal contract as is evident in their public statements announcing the state contracts.
“Telecordia Technologies has helped several organizations efficiently manage and conserve numbering resources,” said Richard Harrison of Telecordia Number Planning and Administration.
Virginia has also chosen Telecordia. “We have conducted pooling trials since 1998 for more than a dozen states and in over 47 area codes,” said Barry Bishop, NeuStar director of numbering services.
NeuStar has contracts with Oregon, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah.
California has chosen both companies to conduct pooling trials in different area codes around the state.
Wireless carriers do not use rate centers so they were not required to get as many blocks, but as an area code ran out of blocks, wireless carriers often found themselves fighting wireline carriers-which still had numbers in some blocks-for new numbers.
Also, the wireless industry does not participate in number pooling because the first step in number pooling is number portability. Number portability allows wireline customers to keep their telephone number when switching local exchange carriers. Number portability has been implemented in the top 100 metropolitan service areas and the FCC is considering whether to expand it nationwide.
Wireless carriers were given an exemption from number portability until Nov. 24, 2002, because it was considered a technical burden. Once number portability is implemented, wireless carriers will also be expected to implement number pooling.
Also on the numbering front, the North American Numbering Council charter has been extended until Oct. 4. One of the projects it is working on is the implementation of nationwide number pooling.
