Neustar history

The system developed by Communications Industry Service was tested and certified in October 1997, and following a successful trial in Chicago, the Lockheed division was selected to serve as LNP administrator by four of the other regional limited liability companies.

Lockheed decided to divest the business, and in December 1998 the management of Communications Industry Services, headed by Jeffrey E. Ganek, formed a corporation and enlisted the backing of Warburg Pincus to buy the division from Lockheed Martin.

1999 NeuStar is spun off.

In November 2000 NeuStar won a contract to provide registry services for the .biz domain name.

In June 2001 NeuStar had landed enough state number pooling contracts, more than 20, that it was awarded the FCC's National Pooling contract.

The expanded second-level .US domain launched on April 24, 2002, enabling companies, nonprofits, government entities and individuals to establish unique, memorable American addresses online.

Also in 2003, Neustar (under contract with CTIA – The Wireless Association) announced the availability of five-digit Common Short Codes (CSCs), numeric codes to which text messages can be sent from a wireless mobile phone or phone-enabled device.

Today, this implementation ranks as the second largest of its kind in the world (after the United States of America), and as Neustar’s second major international number portability initiative (after Taiwan in 2004).

In June 2005 the company completed an initial public offering of stock, selling more than 31 million shares of Class A common stock at $22 per share.

In November 2006, the firm acquired Followap, Inc., a UK-based enabler of mobile instant messaging services.

Also in 2008, Neustar announced a collaboration with the GSM Association (GSMA) – the global trade association for mobile operators – for what is now known as the PathFinder number resolution system.

Also in 2009, Neustar’s unmistakable future focus and impressive history caused the company to be ranked #17 on Forbes Magazine’s annual “25 Fastest-Growing Tech Companies” list.

In January 2010, The Washington Post reported that under Hook's leadership, Neustar was chosen by a consortium of Hollywood studios and technology executives to manage a system whereby consumers could access movies and other video entertainment from multiple digital devices.

2014: One of Neustar’s West Coast offices.

In 2016, Neustar lost its NPAC contract to Ericsson subsidiary Telcordia.

After shareholders vote in favor of the acquisition by Golden Gate Capital and GIC, as well as receiving all required regulatory approvals, the transaction was completed on August 9, 2017, making Neustar a privately-held company.

In July 2018, Charles Gottdiener was appointed as president and chief executive officer, succeeding Lisa Hook.

In April 2020, GoDaddy announced that it would be acquiring Neustar's domain name registry business.