Before number portability, SCPs and other querying nodes could easily determine which network the subscriber belonged to based on the digits dialed by the caller. With number portability, subscriber digits cannot be relied upon to determine the subscriber's network.

Anytime Interrogation Number Portability Query (ATINP) is an Oracle Communications EAGLE feature that provides a method for querying entities to obtain number portability, routing information, or location information for subscribers directly from an EAGLE.

ATINP provides number portability functions for decoding the information in the incoming ATI query message, number conditioning before the Real Time Database (RTDB) lookup, determining the success or failure of the RTDB lookup, and formatting the Return Result or Error Response based on the result of the lookup. ATINP is fully compliant with the ATI standards for Global Number Portability in 3GPP TS 23.066 V7.0.0 (2007-06), Support of Mobile Number Portability.

ATINP supports the use of Additional Subscriber Data (ASD) in formatting response messages.

ATINP supports Service Portability functions that allow a subscriber to keep the same phone number when switching from one type of network or service technology to another within the same operator’s network. With Service Portability, the subscriber remains with the same operator, but receives service from a different network technology supported by that operator or moves from one physical network to another, with both networks operated by the same service provider. The Service Portability (S-Port) feature allows RTDB GRN Entity digits to be used as Service Portability prefixes for own-network GSM and IS41 subscribers in response digit formats.

ATINP supports functions to cluster CNLs into groups referred to as ROPs, which can be used to simplify routing and simple billing analysis in cases where the number of supported CNLs is very large. The Generic Routing Number field is used to store ROP information.

The ATINPQ local subsystem in the EAGLE processes ITU-TCAP ATI messages with the requested information parameter MNP Requested Info or Location Information. The EAGLE responds with an ATI ACK message that contains either number portability and routing information or location information, or responds with an ATI NACK message if the requested information cannot be provided. The original ATI query is discarded.

ATINP is an EPAP-based feature that requires Oracle Communications EAGLE Application Processor (EPAP) provisioning data from the Real Time Database (RTDB). Subscriber data is transferred from customer databases to the EPAP. The EPAP formats the RTDB and loads it to each Service Module card on the EAGLE. The RTDB data is used in obtaining number portability information and in determining how to correctly format the ATI ACK response message.