What is Number Portability?
Number portability is the process that makes it possible to landline users (Fixed Telephonic Commuted Service) and mobile ones (Personal Mobile Service) keeping their telephone number, regardless of the telecom provider chosen by the user.
Number Portability in fixed and mobile telephones was approved by the Directive Council of the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), on March 7th, 2007. The offering of portability to Fixed Commuted Telephone Service and Mobile Phone users was initiated on September 1st, 2008, as determined by Anatel, and shall be available all over the country until March 2009.

What is the role of ABR Telecom as an Administrative Entity?
The Resolution number 460 of the National Telecommunication Agency (Anatel),  March 19th, 2007, established the role of the administrative entity of Number Portability in Brazil in accordance with the terms of the General Regulations of Portability
The model of Number Portability in Brazil states that the administrative entity is the manager of all implementation process and, through a National Reference Database, it will update providers' National Reference Database. The aforementioned updated database will allow the due forwarding of user calls, irrespective of from which telephone provider belongs the destination or receive number.
The technical and operational procedures of this model were established by the Portability implementation Group and approved by Anatel. The Portability Implementation Group is composed by representatives of Anatel, of the Fixed Commuted Telecommunication Service providers, of the Personal Mobile Service and of the administrative entity, responsible for elaborating a detailed schedule of activities and for the follow-up of portability implementation all over the country.

Who can change the provider and maintain the number?
All users of fixed and mobile lines of the locations where Number Portability is implemented in accordance with the schedule which has already been established by Anatel. The schedule of number portability implementation gradually includes in the process all of the 27 states and the 5,563 Brazilian municipalities until March 2009.

Keeping the telephone number, for fixed or mobile lines, will only be possible in the same locality, that is, for landlines the portability will only be possible inside the local area (the municipality or group of contiguous urban localities ). In case of  mobile service, keeping the number could happen inside the registration area (which corresponds to the same DDD).

The change can only be done between landline providers among themselves and so between mobile providers. The change cannot be made from a fixed number to a mobile one or vice-versa.

How will I know to which provider a determined telephone number belongs to?
ABR Telecom makes available such information in the section Consult Provider through a phone number.

How can I ask for Number Portability?
In order to obtain the benefits of portability, the user of fixed or mobile lines shall make a request to the telecom provider to where you intend to migrate (receiving provider) which will be responsible for processing the requests.
Attention: the receiving telecom provider must give to the user, at the moment of the portability request is being filed, a request number of the ticket with  sequential identification.

How long does it take to have my Number Portability request attended to?
In the first year of service implementation, up to five working days will be needed to attend to each request, provided that all criteria are duly observed. From the second year on, the change shall be done in up to three working days. It is also possible to the user to schedule the provider transference to a date after five working days from the request.

What is the deadline to cancel the request for Number Portability that has already been made?
After the request for changing providers is made, the user has two working days for a change of mind and so to communicate the decision to the provider to which the migration request was filed.