NeuStar Selected as Pooling Administrator
for Nebraska's 402 Area Code

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Nebraska Public Service Commission has designated NeuStar as the state's interim pooling administrator for area code 402, NeuStar announced today.

In a Commission order dated August 8, 2000, thousand-block number pooling will be implemented in Nebraska on or before December 1, 2000.

In September 1999, the Commission filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to implement area code conservation methods, which was approved by the FCC on July 20, 2000 for thousand-block number pooling. The authority exists only on an interim basis until a national thousand-block pooling framework is developed and implemented.

Number pooling is the technology that allows phone numbers to be assigned in blocks of 1,000, instead of the telephone network-mandated structure of 10,000 numbers blocks, which has been in place since 1947. Pooling provides efficient management of numbering resources and proves to extend the life of area codes.

"We are delighted that the Commission has selected NeuStar to administer its number pooling trial," said Barry Bishop, Director of Numbering Services for NeuStar. "Pooling trials, particularly the first one in Illinois' 847 area code, have demonstrated to us and to the industry that this is a very effective solution to the country's depleting number resources. "

Several states have been actively seeking number conservation measures that include number pooling; NeuStar has already been serving as the pool administrator in number pooling trials, both voluntary and mandatory, for area codes in California (310), Illinois (708, 847, 630, 312, and 773), Maine (207), New Hampshire (603) and New York (212, 516, 718 and 716).

In addition to Nebraska, NeuStar has also been selected as pooling administrator by the following states for upcoming pooling trials in the following area codes, slated to begin later this year and early 2001:

NeuStar serves the entire telecommunications industry as a key partner in its role as the neutral administrator of the North American Numbering Plan (NANPA) and manages the Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC) for Local Number Portability (LNP).

As the NANPA, NeuStar is the sole administrator of all area codes and central office codes (or exchanges) in North America.

As the LNP Administrator, NeuStar manages the database that is a critical component for the routing of all telephone calls in North America. Hundreds of telecommunications carriers in the United States and Canada connect to NeuStar's NPAC in Chicago. There, advanced LNP technology enables customers to keep their same phone numbers if they switch local telephone service providers. The LNP system also conserves numbers and facilitates competition within the industry.

NeuStar, based in Washington, D.C., was formed as an independent company committed to administering high-quality, evenhanded and competitively neutral services to the communications industry. Visit NeuStar's Web sites at www.neustar.com, www.nanpa.com, www.npac.com and www.numberpool.com.

SOURCE NeuStar