PricewaterhouseCoopers Picked To Oversee LNP Admistrator Transition

said it chose PwC as the transition oversight manager from among six bids that were submitted, and it expected a "letter of engagement" for PwC's services (subject to FCC oversight) to be fully executed this week. The NAPM also said negotiations with Telcordia's iconectiv on the next LNP administrator contract are "going well" and should result in an agreement in principle on "the most complex terms and conditions" by the end of the week before moving on to "more standard contractual issues." The NAPM said it was on schedule to present a final agreement to the FCC by the end of August, but if necessary, the negotiations could extend into September, which the group said shouldn't materially affect the transition's schedule. The LNP administrator transition could take up to two years, an industry representative told us in June (see 1506020041). The NAPM also said it intends to begin negotiating a transition services agreement with Neustar to cover additional services -- above and beyond standard LNP administrator services -- needed to complete the transition. Neustar is mounting a court challenge to the FCC order that conditionally gave Telcordia the next contract (see 1507210039). Local number portability allows consumers to keep their phone numbers when switching service providers.