For Immediate Release
ATIS 1200 G Street, NW Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005	Contact: Trish Gessner Phone: 202-434-8851 E-mail: tgessner@atis.org www.atis.org

ATIS OBF Releases WICIS 3.0.0 Specifications

January 12, 2005, Washington – The ATIS Ordering and Billing Forum (OBF) has completed and released version 3.0.0 of the Wireless Intercarrier Communications Interface Specifications (WICIS) for Local Number Portability.

The WICIS defines the operational requirements and technical specifications for the intercarrier exchange of information when a consumer changes wireless service providers and ports their existing number to a new carrier.

The WICIS 3.0.0 document will replace version 2.1.0. Carriers may begin using version 3.0.0 on the “sunrise” date of May 22, 2005. The transition will take place over several months, and the sunset for WICIS 2.1.0 is set for February 12, 2006. The Wireless Intercarrier Communications Interface Specification (WICIS) for Local Number Portability Version 3.0.0 ( ATIS-0409001-0300) is available on www.atis.org for carriers to download and begin testing in preparation for the May sunrise date.

Benefits of WICIS 3.0.0:

• Carriers determined that the ability to support two versions in production allows them to better manage software releases in support of industry changes. 

• Backwards compatibility, including test and broadcast messages, provides connectivity status and operations support. 

• The document outlines a specific character set for each value to avoid interoperability issues between trading partners.

• Updates to the Interface Definition Language (IDL) removes outdated code, particularly that referring to a single TN structure. The IDL also has been changed to define test and broadcast messages.

This document, a detailed interface specification, is not intended to supercede any regulatory decision regarding Number Portability or Intercarrier Communications, but is meant to serve as a guideline to describe the process and specifications as it involves Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS). It represents a consensus developed by the members of the OBF Wireless Committee and is applicable to all CMRS carriers, including analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) providers (including digital Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) providers).

The WICIS documents are based on the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) Number Advisory Working Group Report on Wireless Intercarrier Communications Version 2.1.3, produced by the Wireless Intercarrier Communication Working Group.

About ATIS

ATIS is a technical planning and standards development organization that is committed to rapidly developing and promoting technical and operations standards for the communications and related information technologies industry worldwide using a pragmatic, flexible and open approach. Participants from more than 350 communications companies are active in ATIS’ 20 industry committees, and its Incubator Solutions Program. www.atis.org

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