Ericsson (News - Alert) announced on Thursday that its interconnection business, known previously as Telcordia Interconnection Solutions, had been renamed to iconectiv – an Ericsson brand.

Telcordia (News - Alert), which formed initially as a breakup of the Bell System in the 1980s, provided solutions to connect separate networks and had developed common telephone innovations like call waiting, caller id and toll-free service.

As iconectiv, the Ericsson subsidiary will handle spectrum management, number portability, an anti-theft device registry and interconnection services.

Ericsson acquired Telcordia in January 2012.

The anti-theft device registry is in response to the growing problem of stolen mobile phones and counterfeit mobile devices, which current technology is ineffective in stopping. A centralized registry allows operators to block a device when a SIM card is changed.

It can be a valuable aid to law enforcement as well, and help governments collect tolls that counterfeiters are able to dodge.

Number portability is provided through a group of solutions including the Number Portability Clearinghouse, Number Portability Gateway (News - Alert) and Number Management System. These allow service providers to comply with regulations while managing the overhead that comes with supporting portability.

IConectiv provides portability solutions outside of the U.S. In 2011, as Telcordia, it was selected to provide the service in Chile. It will also provide number portability in India through 2019.

The overhead of supporting number portability begs the question of why it’s even necessary in the first place; why can’t phone numbers be globally assigned? The existing area code infrastructures in many nations, and the government’s desire to regulate and tax these devices, will likely prevent such a movement from gaining momentum any time soon.

Ericsson’s decision to change Telcordia to a company brand comes as no surprise, as it is common practice after a buyout. The services that were provided under Telcordia won’t change much under the iConectiv name.

It would appear to be a good acquisition for Ericsson as it owns a business on which so many are dependent, and as a large global company, is in a position to handle the demand.