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Carriers Might Profit From Cell Number Portability

Posted by michael on from the yay-for-oligarchies dept.

Makarand writes "Carriers that are adding cell-number portability fees to your monthly cell phone bills (while fighting against actually implementing the requirement) may actually rake in profits from these levies as the total amounts collected will be more than the projected costs of meeting the FCC's number portability requirements. Although federal law requires that such fees be 'just and reasonable', it does not require reporting of their actual expenses. Consumer advocates feel that the number portability verification processes required are similar to those used by long-distance phone companies when a customer switches from one service provider to another and there is little reason to believe that expenses to meet portability requirements should vary widely among carriers and be so excessive as to bring profits for the carriers."

3 of 184 comments (clear)

  1. Portability in action by idles · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The portable cell numbers came to use in Finland just a month ago. The result was a furious fight between the operators fighting for customers: free radio phones, DVD players etc. if you became their customer. But then one of the operators realized it's better off to give benefits for existing customers. They lowered prices for the weekend and started a campaign saying "Our customers are doing better". I think that's the right way to go. I don't want to be switching my cell phone operator all the time. So in the end, customers really did benefit from the change.

  2. Re:Side effects by ThaReetLad · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Here in the UK number porting takes a couple of weeks with no paper work and no fee. The competition between networks is so intense that the mobile telcos are desperate to make it easy for people to change from one network to the other.

    --
    You can't win Darth. If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine
  3. Sptint charges this fee already by EmagGeek · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I pay $2.20 on my bill for "number portability."

    I called to let them know that I am dropping them for another carrier at the end of this month, and that I planned on taking my number with me...

    They said, and this was a real gas, "We don't offer that service. You'll have to give up your phone numbers if you leave Sprint."

    "But you're charging me for number portability!"

    "I'm sorry, sir, but you won't be able to keep your numbers"

    "Then why are you charging me for number portability"

    "Sir, Federal regulations require that we charge the number portability fee"

    "..."

    I couldn't believe my ears..

    Anyone else with Sprint heard the same story? I think that charging a fee for a service one can't utilize comes down to, oh I dunno, fraud...