# Number Portability The telecommunications regulatory feature allowing telephone subscribers to retain their phone numbers when switching carriers. The technical infrastructure enabling number portability — the Local Number Portability (LNP) system — is controlled by [[wiki/Iconectiv|Iconectiv]], a descendant of [[wiki/Bellcore|Bellcore]] through [[wiki/Telcordia Technologies|Telcordia Technologies]]. Referenced in [[articles/Bell Labs and the Distributed Architecture of American Power|Bell Labs and the Distributed Architecture of American Power]].