Overland Park ? New rules that take effect next month allowing cell phone users to keep their number when switching carriers will have a widespread effect on the telecommunications industry, Sprint Corp. chairman and CEO Gary Forsee told local officials Monday.

Forsee, who spoke at a Johnson County economic summit near Sprint’s worldwide headquarters in Overland Park, said the new Federal Communications Commission regulations, which are scheduled to take effect in the nation’s top 100 markets Nov. 24, could change the industry and the way it does business.

“So stay tuned for this big event,” Forsee said, adding that Sprint “is very well positioned to participate in that.”

He said Sprint could take advantage of the new rules by luring customers away from other wireless providers and by attracting people who want to get rid of their wireline phone but want to keep their numbers.

He also said the company had been making changes to be competitive in an industry that has suffered in the last few years.

“We haven’t been standing still,” he said. “We’ve been turning over every stone to be sure that we do find new ways to run and we find new ways to stay on top of our game.”

Forsee said Sprint had been restructuring to be more “customer centered.”

Sprint is reorganizing its operations around two market segments: business and residential customers. The company had been organized according to products: local telephone services, long-distance voice and data services, and wireless.