Number Portability, ENUM (NP)

The BroadForward Number Portability solution delivers a single converged lookup and routing engine for all subscriber number registries, combining Number Portability and ENUM into one unified platform. Operating as a high‑capacity NP Gateway or Server (with its own NP database) the solution delivers real‑time number resolution across Mobile (2G/3G, 4G, 5G), Fixed, IMS, and OTT domains. It removes reliance on costly third‑party database lookups, streamlines lookup and routing logic, and ensures efficient, consistent number resolution, strengthening overall network performance, while accelerating all‑IP convergence.

Deployment options:

Bare metal
Virtual machine
Container
Cloud

Features:

GUI based configuration management
Multi-protocol support (ENUM, MAP, INAP, SIP, HTTP)
Suitable as ENUM Server for VoLTE/IMS deployments
Single database for multiple interfaces and storage elements
External referral query support
High‑performance caching and distributed storage
Script‑free rules engine for number normalization

Foundation

The BroadForward Number Portability – ENUM Solution in Your Network

The BroadForward Number Portability solution (NP) provides a fully productized, unified access point for Number Portability and address resolution across legacy and IP-based networks. The solution can be deployed as a NP Gateway using a separate/existing NP database or as a NP Server using an onboard distributed database. Built on the BFX Unified Signaling Core, the solution bridges traditional SS7-based number lookups (such as INAP or MAP) with IP-based standards (ENUM, SIP and HTTP/2). Supporting both NP Gateway and ENUM Server functionality (RFC 6116 / RFC 3403 / RFC 4694), it resolves number locations, performs real-time address translations (translating E.164 numbers to SIP/URI addressing), and eliminates fragmented, vendor-specific database queries across internal systems (STP, CRM, UDR) and external clearinghouses.

Years of BFX USC in production

Operators running BFX USC

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GSMA GLOMO winner

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Trusted by

Multi-tenancy

Unifying Multi-Generation Coexistence: Centralized Protocol Translation

Provides a single, multi-protocol access point for NP lookups across Mobile (2G–5G), Fixed, IMS, IPX, and OTT networks, unifying access to legacy SS7 based MNP repositories and modern ENUM/DNS servers.

Features an integrated, distributed storage engine that caches frequently accessed NP records in a protocol-agnostic format, dramatically reducing external query costs and latency.

Offers a 100% GUI-driven interface (CLI also supported) for managing complex number formatting, tel-URI transformations, routing logic, and prefix adaptations on the fly, without custom coding or vendor CRs.

Trusted by professionals

See why leading professionals choose BroadForward.

We’re proud to have been leveraging the BroadForward platform for quite a while. The solution has played an important role in enabling connectivity with operators and providers preparing for the 5G SA era. Its flexibility, reliability, and future-ready architecture make it a standout platform in the industry.

This not only saves money, but critically speeds time to market

An elegant and innovative solution to a legacy problem of critical voice networks — fulfils an immediate market need

One of the few independent signaling experts successful in winning business from operators looking for a multi-technology signaling platform

BroadForward’s solutions have already strengthened our signaling capabilities, driving greater operational efficiency

This not only saves money, but critically speeds time to market

An elegant and innovative solution to a legacy problem of critical voice networks — fulfils an immediate market need

One of the few independent signaling experts successful in winning business from operators looking for a multi-technology signaling platform

BroadForward’s solutions have already strengthened our signaling capabilities, driving greater operational efficiency

Specifications

Everything you need to evaluate, in one place

Supported Standards & Core Features

IETF ENUM & Tel URI Standards Fully compliant with RFC 6116 (ENUM), RFC 3403 (NAPTR), and RFC 4694 (NP-tel URI) for PSTN-to-IP address mapping.
Legacy SS7 Support Support for INAP standards (Q.1218, ETS 300 374-1, EN 301 140-1) and MAP for legacy mobile and fixed NP queries.
Distributed Local Database & Caching Scalable, multi-node-aware internal database for storing national and international ported number ranges locally.
Protocol-Agnostic Storage Architecture Stores NP information in a unified format, allowing any protocol (INAP/MAP, SIP, ENUM, HTTP) to query the same dataset.
Real-Time Query & Batch Integration Supports dynamic real-time network dips alongside HTTP REST/SOAP APIs for automated batch provisioning.
Flexible Routing Number (RN) Adaptation Dynamic insertion, manipulation, and stripping of Routing Numbers (RN), prefixes, and Carrier Identification Codes (CIC).
Reducing Third-Party Dip Costs Local caching and internal high-speed database lookups significantly reducing costly external database dips over IPX or national registries.
Script-Free GUI Configuration Template-driven GUI environment for defining mapping rules, routing logic, and parameter normalization without scripting or software development.
Vendor & Cloud Independent Footprint Designed for minimal resource consumption and maximum deployment flexibility across bare metal, virtualized platforms, containers, or hybrid cloud environments.

Supported Standards & Core Features Extended Features

Converged Central NP Gateway & ENUM Server Combines an INAP/MAP/SIP/HTTP gateway and high-performance ENUMServer capabilities on a single software platform.
Referral Query Logic for External NP Systems Supports conditional external dips to national LNP platforms or third party NP databases when local records are unavailable.
Multi-Protocol Interface Support Out-of-the-box multi-protocol interface and interworking support for ENUM, INAP, MAP, SIP and HTTP.

Get more product information

Request the latest data sheet for BroadForward Number Portability, ENUM and share it with your team for a complete technical overview.

Full technical specifications, RFC compliance list, and supported interfaces
Architecture deployment topology (Gateway, ENUM Server, hybrid DB integration)

FAQ

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Deployment

Freedom of Environment: Deploying Where it Makes Sense

With the BFX Unified Signaling Core (USC) at its foundation, operators are not tied to a specific hardware vendor, proprietary appliance, or single cloud environment. The BroadForward Number Portability solution can be deployed or migrated across virtual machines, containers, or bare metal, using the same configuration, without re engineering. The same containerized or virtualized BroadForward Number Portability, ENUM software binary runs across bare metal, virtual machines, or containers. Because the BroadForward USC decouples core execution logic from platform dependencies, exporting configuration profiles, ENUM translation workflows, and routing rules as declarative Helm charts or standardized JSON files makes environment transitions effortless.