[finch]

Looks like this will finally come to fruition for Canadian customers effective March 14, 2007

Currently, Local Number Portability is available to customers of wireless service companies in Canada that have undertaken to comply with the requirements to become Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs).

In the February 2005 federal budget, the government identified wireless number portability as a priority item. Also, in April 2005, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) announced that Canada 's wireless carriers have agreed to implement number portability in Canada and have begun the planning efforts required to achieve this result.

In December 2005, the CRTC issued a decision requiring all Canadian wireless telephone companies to implement wireless number portability (WNP) by March 14, 2007, in most of Canada.

By March 14, 2007 Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless and the mobility division of TELUS Communications Inc. will be required to provide WNP to their customers in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Québec. This means that customers in any of these provinces will be able to switch to any service provider in that province (wireline or wireless) and keep their phone number.

Throughout Canada, all wireless carriers will, by the same date, be required to release a phone number to another carrier (port-out customers) and by no later than September 12, 2007, to accept a phone number from another carrier (port-in customers).

SOURCE