Patent ID: 7848739

Claim:
A method in a wireless communication system having a plurality of wireless communication devices and a network system controller, the method performed by the network system controller and comprising the steps of: receiving a deactivation request from a first wireless communication device of the plurality of wireless communication devices, wherein the deactivation request includes first identification information for the first wireless communication device and second identification information for another wireless communication device of the plurality of wireless communication devices; after receiving the deactivation request, receiving an activation request from a second wireless communication device of the plurality of wireless communication devices, the activation request including third identification information identifying the second wireless communication device; determining, in response to receiving the activation request, that the second wireless communication device is a transferred identity wireless communication device when the third identification information compares favorably with the second identification information; activating the second wireless communication device with a transferred identity in response to determining that the second wireless communication device is a transferred identity wireless communication device, wherein the transferred identity comprises unique information associated with the first wireless communication device, the first wireless communication device having a previously utilized telephone number and a stored billing record associated therewith, and wherein activating the second wireless communication device includes the step of linking the stored billing record of the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device; and after activating the second wireless communication device with the transferred identity, coordinating a wireless transfer of repertoire information associated with the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device by receiving the repertoire information from the first wireless communication device, and sending the repertoire information to the second wireless communication device, wherein the repertoire information includes information selected from a group consisting of personal phone books, stored messages, stored recent call logs and calendar information.