Commerce Commission Website - Number Portability Overview

Number Portability Overview

Local and cellular telephone number portability are both regulated services under the Telecommunications Act 2001. Local number portability enables a customer to change their telecommunications provider but retain the same telephone number within a local calling area. Cellular number portability enables a cellular customer to change their provider but retain the same telephone number, including the same cellular network access code.


Under the Act, a person who qualifies as an access seeker for either number portability service may apply to the Commission for a determination of: the functions that must be performed by a system for delivering number portability and the standard to which those functions must be performed; the formula for how the cost of delivering number portability must be apportioned between the access seeker and all access providers of number portability. On 31 August 2005, the Commission released its Number Portability Determination (Decision 554). This decision was clarified by Decision 579 in May 2006 and by Decision 600 in March 2007. These decisions relate to two applications made by the industry: Function & Standards Application Cost Allocation Application