Cell Phones & Numbers

[Guest jwraustin]

I heard sometime ago that people who use cell phones will have the chance to switch carriers and keep their cell phone numbers.

 

Does anyone here happen to know when this takes effect. I have Cingular wireless, and hate the service I get from them. They have lost my payment again for the 4th time. And it takes them months to get it straightened out.

 

Thanks guys

 

Jon Dean

http://www.manfuck.net

[OneFinger]

Jon, I believe I started the original post you referenced. It's my understanding that it takes place the end of October or the first of November. Not sure the exact date but I know it's soon.

 

Just a word of caution. Be sure to review your current contract. If you switch providers before the contract term ends, you may be responsible for unreasonable and extremely high cancellation fees. BTW, they usually write those contacts for THEIR benefit and not yours. Look out for carefully worded clauses that can be interpreted several ways. I can assure you that the only "correct" interpretation is theirs.

[Prime Muscle]

Local number portability does occur in November which will allow you to change providers but keep the same telephone number. But there are a lot of buts you need to be aware of....

 

-- but you have to get a new telephone. Your Cingular phone will not work on any other network (this is by design).

-- but you will still need to comply with your existing contract terms (if you are 2 months into a 12 month agreement - penalities will apply).

-- but you may get fucked becuase the process may not work (the portability technology and databases may work great in the lab but I recommend waiting a few months to make sure the process works smoothly. Last thing you want is to cancel your existing service and transfer your number to a new carrier only to find out that there is a snag in the computer software and you are now without service. Make sure the process is tested and running smoothly before you plan to switch and when you do switch, do so when you are not expecting a lot of calls!

 

In some cases, you can also change your home number to your cell number but that gets a bit more tricky.

 

Hope this helps.

[tipster]

November 24