| Actual FOC date | Once the losing carrier has been informed about a port, and they’ve agreed on the date (and possibly time) that the numbers can be ported, the negotiated date is referred to as the actual FOC date. |
| Automated (Port Type) | An automated port is processed by Bandwidth sending an API call to our on-net or off-net porting vendor to process the port-in. |
| COB | Copy of bill - document that serves as proof of ownership of a number. |
| Carrier | A carrier is a telephony network provider. The carrier provides the physical network (IP or PSTN) for your telephone calls. |
| Controlling RespOrg | The RespOrg that is currently responsible for a toll free number. For porting, the controlling RespOrg is the RespOrg that the number is being ported from. See also, Target RespOrg. |
| Country Code | 3-letter ISO-3166 country code that represents a country. |
| Draft Port-in | A port-in or bulk port-in may be created as a “draft”. This allows information to be added to the draft as it becomes available, without involving the SUPP process, until the draft is submitted. |
| E.164 Number | A phone number in E.164 format. E.164 numbers start with a + followed by the country code and then the phone number. |
| Earliest Estimate | Once a port-in has been categorized into a port type and the losing carrier has been determined, the order will have an earliest-estimate date. This date is Bandwidth’s estimate of the earliest requested FOC date that is not likely to be rejected for being too soon. |
| FOC | Firm Order Commitment - Industry jargon for an agreed upon date when a number will port from the losing carrier to the winning carrier |
| HLR | Home Location Register - A database in the mobile network that stores information necessary to support telephone features like calling name display and LNP. See SCP for the PSTN. |
| Internal (Port Type) | An internal port-in is one in which telephone numbers that are already on Bandwidth’s network are ported from one Bandwidth customer to another Bandwidth customer. For the winning account, it is a port-in. For the losing account, it is a port-out. |
| Invoice | A document that contains a list of charges for a customer and can serve as proof of ownership of a number. |
| LNP | Local Number Portability |
| LOA | Letter of Authorization - a legal document that serves as proof that the person responsible for a telephone number wishes to port that number from one service provider to another. The LOA document is part of the mechanism to prevent numbers from being ported without the knowledge or approval of the person that pays for the use of the number. |
| Local Service Provider | Any provider (e.g., voice provider, data provider) that administers and bills local exchange and related services for the End User. |
| LRN | LNP Routing Number - A 10-digit number assigned to each SSP or MSC. The LRN is used to route calls to the switch where they are being served after being ported. |
| LSMS | LNP Service Management System - An LNP network function that is responsible for updating SCPs and HLRs with mappings between ported TNs and LRNs. |
| LSR | Local Service Request - Industry jargon for a port-out request from the winning carrier to the losing carrier |
| Manual off-net (Port Type) | In some rate centers and in Canada (currently), Bandwidth must partner with carriers that either have no automated porting interface, or Bandwidth has not implemented the porting interface. These ports are processed by Bandwidth’s LNP team working with the vendor or carrier we have partnered with in that rate center. |
| Manual on-net (Port Type) | Some large and complex port-ins for telephone numbers in rate centers in which Bandwidth has coverage are handled as manual port-ins. These ports are processed by Bandwidth’s LNP team working with our on-net porting vendor. |
| Manual (Port Type) | Manual ports contain non-NANP telephone. These ports are processed by Bandwidth ’s LNP team working with the vendor or carrier we have partnered with in that rate center. |
| MSC | Mobile Switching Center |
| NANP Number | The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) number is a telephone numbering system used by many countries in North America like the United States, Canada, and others. NANP numbers start with +1, which is the country code. |
| Non-NANP Number | Telephone number that is not in the NANP telephone numbering system. Non-NANP numbers start with country codes like +44 (UK) or +32 (Belgium). |
| Network Service Provider | Carrier that provides the facilities and switch/equipment components needed to make up an End User’s local telecommunications service. |
| NPAC | Number Portability Administration Center - An LNP network function that serves as the source of truth for all ported numbers. There is one NPAC for the U.S. and one for Canada. |
| Number Type | Classification of a phone number based on its functionality and use case. Can be geographic, national, toll-free, shared-cost or premium. |
| Off-net | Telephone numbers in rate centers where Bandwidth partners with another provider for coverage are referred to as off-net numbers. |
| On-net | Telephone numbers in rate centers where Bandwidth has local coverage are referred to as on-net numbers. |
| Port-in | Porting a number from another carrier or responsible organization to Bandwidth |
| Port-out | Porting a number from Bandwidth to another carrier or responsible organization |
| Port Type | When a port-in is created, it is assigned a port type by Bandwidth that indicates how the port-in will be processed. Possible port types are: Automated (on-net and off-net), Internal, Manual off-net, Manual on-net, Manual toll free, and Manual. |
| PSTN | Public Switched Telephone Network - the legacy wireline telephone network in North America |
| Requested FOC date | The date on which you want the port to complete. For some types of port-ins, the Requested FOC date can include a requested activation time. There are restrictions on how soon or how far into the future the requested FOC date may be. Once a FOC date has been agreed upon by the losing carrier, the order will have an actual FOC date. |
| RespOrg | Responsible Organization - the carrier or service provider that is responsible for a toll free number. When toll free numbers are ported, they change from one RespOrg to another. |
| RespOrg Exception | Some of Bandwidth’s customers are designated as toll free number “responsible organizations”. These customers have their own RespOrg ID and generally want to keep their toll free number under that RespOrg ID, even though they are using Bandwidth’s network to host the toll free numbers. RespOrg Exception customers have a list of RespOrg Exception RespOrg IDs configured in their account settings. |
| SCP | Service Control Point - A database in the PSTN that stores information necessary to support telephone features like calling name display and LNP. See HLR for the mobile network. For porting, the SCP maps ported telephone numbers to the LRN that is used to route calls to the ported numbers. |
| Service Provider | The business to whom the subscriber has financial responsibility for the telephone numbers. This distinction is made because the service provider may or may not own the physical network equipment (see Network Service Provider) that is used to support telephone calls. A given provider may be a network service provider, a service provider, or both. |
| SOA | Service Order Automation - An LNP network function that creates Subscription Versions for each telephone number being ported, and interfaces with the NPAC |
| SSP | Service Switching Point - a telephony switch that serves PSTN numbers |
| Subscription Version | A record for a TN being ported that is created by the SOA of both losing and winning carriers. These records are delivered to the NPAC, who uses them to confirm that the losing carrier has agreed to port the number on the FOC date. |
| SUPP | Supplement - Industry jargon for modifying a port-in order that has been submitted to the porting vendor |
| Target RespOrg | For porting, the RespOrg that a toll free number is being ported to. |
| TFN | Toll Free Number |
| TN | Telephone Number - It will be noted where used if this does or does not include toll free telephone numbers |
| Triggered | Automated port-ins can be designated as triggered, which means that the user may request an activation time on the actual FOC date. Port-ins that are not triggered are activated at 11:30 AM ET on the FOC date. |
| Vendor | A company that Bandwidth partners with for porting services. Porting vendors generally provide services like implementing LSR interfaces to the many carriers, or implementing the SOA interface for number porting. |