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Yet More on Cellular Number Portability

Posted by michael on from the churn dept.

RadBlock writes "The Wireless Supersite has posted an interesting column analyzing number portability. Wireless carriers have been stalling on the availablity of number portability for years now. The final deadline is supposed to be in November, and it will allow you to keep your wireless phone number when you change carriers (one number for life... the ultimate!)"

14 of 211 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Does it really matter? by MoOsEb0y · · Score: 4, Insightful

    True, but you have to pay for those. If the wireless companies could cooperate, you wouldn't have to pay for this. Maybe that's why they aren't cooperating.

  2. That's exactly why cell companies don't want it by FearUncertaintyDoubt · · Score: 5, Insightful
    One of the big reasons to not switch your cell phone company is that you lose your number, and have to deal with changing over to a new number.

    If I could keep my number, my incentive to stay with RipOff Cellular goes down, and I'm more likely to switch to UselessMinutes Wireless Inc.

    In the end, there's probably just as many people who want to switch from A to B as want to switch from B to A. But even though the numbers of subscribers might remain fairly steady, it is more expensive to lose one customer and gain another than to just keep one.

    1. Re:That's exactly why cell companies don't want it by ckuhtz · · Score: 3, Insightful
      One of the big reasons to not switch your cell phone company is that you lose your number, and have to deal with changing over to a new number.

      Exactly, not having number portability is anti-competitive. They're trying to protect their cartels.

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      Poof.
    2. Re:That's exactly why cell companies don't want it by weston · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Corollary: Every cell phone company beleives that they have more disatisfied customers than their competitors do.

      See, it works both ways. In theory, taking this barrier out should make it just as easy for customers to flock to you as away from you. One thing keeping me from walking away from T-Mobile and to a more data-friendly service and never looking back is the fact that I like my number. I've had it for two years, it's a combination of only 3 numbers, and I think it's good. OK, so T-Mobile should be afraid. But there's at least five other carriers out there that should be ready to take me and people like me. And I can't beleive that there's not people who wouldn't swich *to* T-Mobile, given the chance, due to the morass of good information on the relative merits of the wireless services, not to mention the genuine difference in value propositions between them.

      But apparently, most of the wireless companies believe they are delivering inferior services to their competitors. That's the only explanation.

      Further Corollary: at least one of them is wrong. :)

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      Tweet, tweet.
  3. WHAT AM I PAYING FOR, THEN? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    For the past four or five years, an increasing number of nickel-and-time charges have been appearing on my phone bill... every time I'd ask Verizon about it they would say basically "The FCC made me do it."

    Well, one of those numbers was supposed to be specifically to provide phone number portability if I change carriers.

    So if I'm not getting phone number portability, why am being charged for it?

  4. Phone portability is more important first by purplebear · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Number portability won't give the consumer much really. If you are displeased with the service of one company and decide to change carriers, you also have to acquire a new phone as well as a new number. Sure, that's not a problem when phones are free or only $0.01. But, when you start throwing in these unlimited local services that don't give away their phones, it can be costly to change carriers just because of the equipment change.

  5. More Options Are ALWAYS a "Good Thing" by SUB7IME · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have noticed that some people are complaining, "But if I always have the same phone number, then I can't avoid all those pesky telemarketers/ex-girlfriends/stalkers/parents/lawy ers/etc."

    What these people are ignoring is that you merely have the choice to keep the same number - not an obligation. If it behooves you to keep the same number, you may do so; if not, you can drop the number just like you do now.

    Giving the public more options is a "Good Thing."

  6. Telemarketers by humpTdance · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Here's an interesting article that talks about how Telemarketers feel about number portability. Telephone Consumer Protection Act

    The Federal Communication Commission will require wireless carriers in the 100 largest cities to support local number portability beginning November 24, 2003.

    The Telephone Consumer Protection Act bans automated predictive dialer calling to any phone number where the recipients pay call costs (like cell phones).

    Telemarketers fear they may inadvertently reach a cell number and violate the TCPA because of the number portability. Telemarketers avoid doing so currently because carriers assign specific area codes or digits to wireless numbers; dialers then do not ring those numbers
    I actually look forward to changing my phone number when I move to new cities so telelmarketers won't have my number, but I guess random dialing won't prevent them from finding it eventually. Maybe it's time I permanently got rid of my land-line, which, like the radio, has become a tool for marketing rather than communication.

    1. Re:Telemarketers by stubob · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Especially for those of us in states with No-Call lists (or possibly the National No-Call list if it ever comes to pass). Opt-out once and you're off the list for good. Oh, wait. These two ideas are probably opposed for the same reason by the telemarketing industy's lobby.

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      Planning to be moderated ± 1: Bad Pun.
  7. Re:perhaps a good idea by ckuhtz · · Score: 3, Insightful
    I think having a number would be cool, but there are other implications. Imagine the privacy concerns of not changing your number

    What the heck does a number have to do with privacy?!.. Put down the crackpipe.

    Another issues is routing of the call and how much more work this would add for the phone company that they would be willing to charge you more for. In my opinion they charge to much already. It's already solved. Has been for years. Called LNP. It's not technology, it's fear and anti-competitive notions.

    Why do you think providers love the heavily fragment market of CDMA, TDMA, CDMA PCS, TDMA PCS, Sprint PCS, iDEN & GSM in the U.S.? Switching is hell.

    Why do you think U.S. lags behind in wireless growth?

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    Poof.
  8. The holy grail? ERr not necessarily.. by NanoGator · · Score: 2, Insightful

    " (one number for life... the ultimate!)"

    Err I'm not sure that's the 'ultimate'. The nice thing about having everybody rotate numbers is that telemarketer records have to be updated. Then, there's the whole problem of having to have much longer phone numbers. I don't mean to poo-poo it, just that I kind of like having to rotate once in a while.

    One thing I would like, though, is the ability to alias my phone number. I had an idea a few years ago where your e-mail address (or domain name maybe? I dunno...) could be registerred with a central service. This service would store your phone # and mailing address. If somebody dialed your email address on the phone, it would lookt it up in this database and then route the call. As long as you kept your info up to date, then people would only have to remember your email address to talk to you or send you stuff.

    Of course there are privacy concerns and other problems I haven't thought of. It's just that on the surface, it seems like a neat idea. Imagine being able to block individuals this way!

    Hmm okay I'm rambling. I just think the digital world has the potential to really make things different for the better. I daydream about it sometimes.

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    "Derp de derp."
  9. Uhhh.. by swb · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...the European cell network is great because of this kind of crap?

    I don't care how cool your GSM network tech is or how easy it is to roam from Spain to Syria, if you have to put up with this kind of BS billing game it's not worth it...

  10. I foresee a scapegoat... by Rai · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Say you were using AT&T Wireless then you switch to Verizon and keep your number. You number is probably still going thru some piece of AT&T since, technically, they control the number range into which your number falls.

    So you have a problem such as you can't receive calls. You call your current carrier, Verizon who says the problem is with AT&T since your number falls into their range. You call AT&T who says they are not your carrier so they can't help you. And back and forth you go...

    I think I'd rather deal with a number change.

  11. Re:Does it really matter? by gpinzone · · Score: 2, Insightful

    We don't live in a puely capitalistic society. If we did, there would be no need for a FDA since market forces would force food produces to ensure quality and safety. Obviously, we can't trust market forces only to bend to the will of the consumer, especially when all of the players band together.