scope:

This document describes guidelines for the assignment of Carrier Identification Codes (CICs) in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) area and is a product of industry consensus reached under the aegis of the Industry Numbering Committee (INC). The document will be maintained by the INC which will, therefore, be responsible for the determination of any necessary changes or updates. These guidelines do not detract from the ability of an appropriate governmental or regulatory agency to exercise authority over any and all issues herein.1 These guidelines and future changes to these guidelines will be submitted to the agencies for their review. In addition, it should be understood that these guidelines supersede any previously issued CIC assignment guidelines.

These guidelines have been formulated with consideration of the following two legitimate needs. First, the recognition that the CICs represent a finite resource and should, therefore, be used efficiently and conserved to the extent possible; and second, that their prudent use is inherent in the provision of telecommunications services. Therefore, the guidelines should offer the greatest latitude in the provision of telecommunication services, while maintaining the effective management of a finite resource.

The assignment practices detailed in these guidelines apply to the assignment of CICs made directly by North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) to a specific entity. (See Section 2.2 for CIC application procedures). Therefore, the maximum number of CICs an entity may be assigned under these guidelines pertains to the number of CICs the administrator may directly assign to that entity. Accordingly, codes obtained via means other than direct assignment by the NANPA are outside the scope of these assignment guidelines and hence, are not included in the maximum code assignment limits. The requirements specified in these guidelines will apply to all CICs (e.g., the access and usage requirements for retaining CICs) regardless of the manner through which an entity obtained a code.