Industry Indicators

Wireless carriers say they’ll charge customers for wireless number portability, which is set to begin on Nov. 24. The wireless industry has complained that WNP will be technically difficult, confuse customers and be costly.

AT&T Wireless, Sprint and Nextel plan to charge between $1.50 to $1.75, which will also cover E-911 and number pooling. Verizon, which filed a suit with the CTIA to extend the deadline for portability, says it won’t charge its customers at first, but it will add the charge for new porting customers later. Verizon estimates that portability will cost it 10 cents to 15 cents per month, per customer.