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> For instancen we can keep our number when switching carriers

This has also been possible in the U.S. for as long as cell phones have been widespread. Presumably there is a regulatory reason because I can't imagine a strong reason a carrier would implement it otherwise.

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This has also been possible in the U.S. for as long as cell phones have been widespread.

For values of "as long as" shorter than fourteen years, that is:

In the US, local number portability was mandated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1996 with the First Report and Order on LNP and Number Pooling.

Those of us who owned cell phones in the early 1990s remember very well how screwed we used to be.

This has only been possible in the U.S. since 2004

http://wireless.fcc.gov/wlnp/index.htm?job=home

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