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Q1: How was Vangent selected to be
the MBI Administrator?
A1: An MBI Selection Committee, comprised of a wide range of wireless network
licensees, issued a Request for Proposal in March 2001. Proposals were
submitted in May 2001, and the Selection Committee selected NCS Pearson as
Administrator in June 2001. In February 2007 the NCS Pearson division was sold
and the contract transferred to Pearson Government Solutions,
Inc. now known as Vangent, Inc .
Q2: Who is Vangent?
A2: Vangent designs, builds and operates our customers' systems and services to optimize
their performance at a fair price.
We serve clients in the U.S. federal government, international governments, Health Care,
higher education, defense & intelligence, commercial and human resource management sector.
Pearson Government Solutions is built on a 50+ year heritage and has been
serving clients in the U.S. federal government since 1973.
Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Vangent, Inc. has more than 5,500
employees in multiple locations worldwide.
Q3: What is an MBI, MIN and MDN?
A3: The MIN Block Identifier (MBI) is defined as the first 6 digits of a
block of 10,000 MINs used to uniquely identify a wireless service provider.
The Mobile Directory Number (MDN) is defined as the number that is dialed to
reach a mobile subscriber. The Mobile Identification Number (MIN) is defined
in ANSI TIA/EIA-553 as the 10-digit number that is used to identify a mobile
station (and its HLR) over the radio interface.
Q4: Why was MBI Administration undertaken?
A4: Prior to separation, AMPS, CDMA and TDMA service providers perform
registration, call processing, provisioning, customer care and billing based
upon a single number---the MIN. Traditionally, the MIN has also been
programmed by service providers within the North American Numbering Plan
(NANP) serving area as the 10-digit Mobile Directory Number (MDN).
Given changes in the administration of the NANP, the
wireless industry found it necessary to administer MINs separately to meet
its unique requirements. With the advent of capabilities such as Local Number
Portability and Thousands-Block Number Pooling, separation of the MDN and MIN
is necessary. In today’s post-separation environment, mobile subscribers now
require two types of numbers: a Mobile Directory Number (MDN) and a Mobile
Station Identifier (MSID).
The MDN is the dialable NANP telephone number and is
portable in a service provider portability environment. The MSID is
non-portable and non-dialable. The MSID can take the format of a 15-digit
International Mobile Station Identifier (IMSI) or a 10-digit MIN. MBI
Administration addresses the management of the 6-digit MBI associated with
the 10-digit MIN format MSID.
Q5: What happens if a Wireless Service
Provider (WSP) chooses not to participate in MBI?
A5: To eliminate service quality and billing issues, two different WSPs
cannot use the same MINs. Multiple WSPs using the same MINs can result in
instances of the wrong customer being billed for service or intended features
not being available to customers who ordered those features. By registering
its MBI blocks with the MBI Administrator, a WSP can ensure the blocks it is
using will not be assigned to another carrier.
Q6: How do I get started with MBI
Administration?
A6: The first thing a service provider needs to do is ensure that the MBI
Administrator has the proper address and Contact information so that the
Initial Setup Package can be sent to the correct company Contact.
Once the service provider receives the Initial Setup
Package, it must complete the following documents:
1. MBI
Service Account Registration: Complete this form to set up an initial Service
Account.
2. User Agreement:
Carefully read the information in the User Agreement and make sure an officer
of your corporation signs it. Be sure to include a copy of a license
certification to prove you are a license holder.
3. Optional
Sub-account: Depending upon how your company wants to set up administration
of MBIs, you may find it necessary to create multiple Sub-accounts under the
main Service Account. You will need to fill out this optional form to define
the Sub-accounts.
4. Invoice
and Payment: The fees listed on the invoice are one-time only fees that share
the system development costs among the service providers participating in the
MBI program. There are no recurring or monthly fees.
Q7: How do I learn more about MBI
Administration?
A7: For other questions about MBI Administration, please refer to the MBI
Administration web site, send an email to mbiadmin@vangent.com, or call the
MBI Administration Help Desk at (785) 331-2323 for more information. Another
excellent resource for MBI Administration is the "MBI Assignment Guidelines and Procedures" document, which
can be found on the MBI Administration Web site’s MBI Oversight Council (MOC)
homepage.
Q8: What is the
MOC?
A8: The MBI Oversight Council (MOC) is an industry group
that develops and maintains Guidelines for the national administration of MIN
Blocks. The MBI Oversight Council provides a forum to 1) Maintain and modify
the MBI Guidelines and Procedures, 2) Resolve
issues referred to the MBI Administrator but not resolved to the satisfaction
of the applicant or the MBI Administrator, and 3) Request that the MBI
Administrator perform assignment audits of service providers. The MOC is an
open forum in which any interested party (e.g., industry representatives,
regulatory representatives and industry associations) may participate.
Meeting times and
documents are posted to the MOC homepage at the MBI Administration website.
Q9: How does a non-LNP WSP ensure that
it is assigned MBIs that are associated with its NPA-NXX assignments?
A9: In order for a non-LNP WSP to ensure that it is assigned the MBIs that
are associated with its NPA-NXX assignments, the WSP must apply for an MBI
and specify the assignment that it requires. If the NPA-NXX was recently
assigned, MBI Administration may ask that the WSP provide a NANPA Part 3
application to show that the WSP has been assigned the NPA-NXX.
Q10: Is there an appeal process if
there is a dispute?
A10: Yes, but the Administrator and Applicants or Assignees will make
reasonable, good faith efforts to resolve such disagreements among
themselves, consistent with the guidelines, prior to pursuing any appeal.
Appeals may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following
options:
1. With
regard to the administration of MBIs, the Applicant or Assignee will have the
opportunity to resubmit the matter to the Administrator with additional
information for reconsideration.
2. Issues
referred to the Administrator, but not resolved to the satisfaction of the
Applicant, Assignee or Administrator may be referred to the MBI Oversight
Council for final resolution.
The Administrator will keep reports on any resolution
resulting from the above options on file, the content of which will be
mutually agreed upon by the involved parties. At a minimum, the report will
contain the final disposition of the appeal.
The Applicant/Assignee or the Administrator will refer
guideline interpretation, clarification, or MBI management questions,
associated with an appeal, to the MBI Oversight Council for final resolution.
Unless otherwise mutually agreed to by the parties, these questions will be
submitted in a generic manner protecting the identity of the appellant. All
documentation resulting from these activities will be kept on file by the
Administrator. There will be no charge for a resubmission of a denied
application if it is appealed within 20 US business days of the denial.
Q11: How are MBI Users informed of
process changes?
A11: Any process changes will result in changes to the "MBI Assignment Guidelines and Procedures"
document. This document can be referenced by WSPs and is posted on the MBI
Administration Web site on the MOC homepage. Users receive notice of
Guideline changes through the Quarterly Update broadcast message sent by the
Administrator or by participating in the MOC.
Q12: Who oversees the MBI
Administration function?
A12: The MBI Oversight Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) is responsible for
monitoring the MBI Administration contract.
Q13: What are the various service
levels for MBI Administration?
A13: A variety of service level measurements are in place to control and
ensure high quality service is given to WSPs participating in MBI
Administration. The MBI Administrator maintains the following service levels:
· Help Desk Business Hours: 8:30AM - 5:30PM
Central, Monday through Friday.
· Validate and respond to all applications (with complete payment) within
5 business days.
· Process all applications on a first-come, first-serve basis.
· Handle all issues for all MBI customers on an equal and consistent basis.
Q14: How are MBI applications
submitted to the Administrator?
A14: MBI Applications must be submitted by an authorized Contact for the
Company (an MBI User ID is required). The MBI Applications may be sent either
on-line via the Web site system, or off-line via a hard copy application
form.
On-line Submission: From the MBI public Web site, use
your personal User ID and Password to log on to the MBI secure Web site.
Then, from your "User Home" page, follow the appropriate links to
complete an application.
Off-line Submission: From the MBI public Web site, go to
the MBI Application Forms link, choose the appropriate form, and then print
it to paper. After completing the form, send it to MBI Administration via fax
or mail. Note: All general MBI Application forms require a Company ID and
your personal User ID.
MBI Administration
3833 Greenway Drive
Lawrence, KS 66046
Fax: (785) 838-2152
Initial Setup: If your company has not yet been set up
with an MBI Administration account, you will need to obtain an Initial Setup
Package by calling the MBI Administration Help Desk at (785) 331-2323.
Q15: What is the difference between a
Service Account and a Sub-account?
A15: There is flexibility built into the Service Account structure allowing
WSPs several options for administering their MBI resources.
Every WSP is required to set up at least one Service
Account with at least one User Contact to support MBI administrative
functions.
Sub-accounts may be set up under a defined Service
Account. All Contacts that have been defined under the Service Account will
have authority to request, return or transfer MBIs among all of the
Sub-accounts associated with a Service Account. Additional Service Accounts
and/or Sub-accounts may be defined based upon geography, resellers,
company-specific administration requirements or a variety of other reasons.
One of the criteria to consider when setting up Service and Sub-Accounts is
the 60% utilization requirement, which requires LNP capable WSPs to have
reached a 60% utilization rate on MBIs in a given service or sub-account
before any new MBIs can be assigned to that service or sub-account.
Exceptions to this requirement are listed in Section 6.3.1 and Section 6.3.2
of MBI Assignment Guidelines and
Procedures.
Q16: Can you give examples on how I
may set up my Service Account/Sub-account structure for my company?
A16: What follows are several examples (keep in mind that these are just
examples of possible ways of setting up a Service Account structure):
Example #1: A WSP has an operation in five states with a centralized number
administration group that handles all the needs for the company. There are
five separate administrators who each have responsibility for a single state.
In this instance, it may make sense to set up a single Service Account with
five different Sub-accounts each corresponding to a different state. There
would be five different Contacts set up who could back up each other in case
the primary Contact for the state is out of the office.
Example #2: A large national WSP has number administration divided into ten
regions, each having a staff of five to support each region. In this case, it
may make sense for the WSP to set up ten different Service Accounts. Within
each of the Service Accounts there could be Sub-accounts defined for each one
of the states or cities. The five users would be set up as contacts under
their respective regional Service Account. They would be able to maintain
only those areas assigned under their regional Service Account.
Example #3: A small WSP located in one geographic area has only a few MBIs to
request from the Administrator. In this case, the WSP may need to set up only
one main Service Account and can assign all its MBIs under that Service
Account.
Q17: What are shared MBIs and
how do I obtain them?
A17: A “shared” MBI is an MBI in which multiple carriers
are assigned and have implemented MINs in blocks smaller than the full 10,000
MINs within an MBI. The Grandfathering process (see Q21) was designed to allow WSPs to obtain these smaller blocks.
However, from time to time a carrier may still need to be assigned a shared
range by the MBI Administrator. In specific instances, outlined in MBI Administration Guidelines and Procedures
Annex G, WSPs can request MOC approval to have a shared MBI range assigned to
them by the Administrator.
Q18: What are the cost
elements for participating in MBI Administration?
A18: There is an $85 fee for registering for Service Accounts and Sub-accounts.
There is also a fee for each application for a new MBI. Additional fees are
charged for manually handling an application by mail, fax, or electronic
spreadsheet. In addition, the WSP is responsible for any fees incurred by the
MBI Administrator as a result of a returned check or credit card payment.
Q19: How are OCNs used in the MBI
Administration process?
A19: OCNs were used during the Grandfathering Period to perform edit checks
to ensure that WSPs grandfather those MBIs that are assigned to them. In
addition, OCNs were used during the Pre-population process to pre-populate
MBI assignments into the WSP's Service Accounts and Sub-accounts, if desired.
Q20: When I first set up my company,
why do I need to include a License ID?
A20: A WSP will have to provide at least one License ID (as specified in the
FCC Universal Licensing System) in order to show that the WSP is a licensed
facilities-based carrier.
Q21: What was the purpose of
Grandfathering?
A21: The purpose of Grandfathering was to secure and reserve Mobile Directory
Number (MDN) blocks used as MINs prior to the separation of the MIN and the
MDN. This was necessary so that the MBI database could be initially populated
with an accurate database of MBI resources that are already in use and assigned
to wireless service providers. Grandfathering ended in April of 2002.
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