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Why US Wireless Isn't Wide Open
Geoffery B tips a story in Business Week about why the US cellular carriers' talk about opening up their networks rings hollow. "Even as the wireless industry chants a new gospel about opening mobile phone networks to outside devices and applications, some of the biggest US carriers are quietly blocking new services that would compete with their own. Would-be mobile-service providers, ranging from startups to major banks to eBay's PayPal, have encountered these roadblocks, erected by the likes of AT&T and Verizon Wireless. In some cases, cellular carriers have backed down, but only after inflicting costly delays on the new services."
The article is about foot-dragging and rejections for some short-code services that compete with the wireless carriers.
Yes, it's been offered for a few years now. Though not every carrier offers it.
Excuse me while I gather the virgin sacrifice and assemble the pentagram required to solve your problem
Under the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) "local number portability" (LNP) rules, so long as you remain in the same geographic area, you can switch telephone service providers and keep your existing phone number. If you are moving from one geographic area to another, however, you may not be able to take your number with you. These rules have applied for some time to wireless and most traditional, wireline telephone companies. In addition, the FCC recently extended the LNP rules to interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers and determined that the rules would also apply to small wireline telephone companies that have not been granted waivers from the rules by their state public utility commissions. Therefore, subscribers remaining in the same geographic area can now switch from a wireless, wireline, or VoIP company to any other wireless, wireline, or VoIP company and still keep their existing phone numbers.
No they ALL have to
Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what your country did to you
Umm - as of ~3 years ago, all cell phone carriers operating in the US are required by the FCC to allow numbers to be ported to and from other providers. The same is true of local (landline) phone numbers as of ~10 years ago. It is not yet true of VoIP. Mind you the cell carriers don't actually have to implement it until someone asks for a port - but when they do, they must comply.
The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. - Albert Einstein
Public deserves atleast a lowcost emergency phone which doesn't need the monthly and yearly contract slavery.
This already exists. Pick up any used cellphone from any carrier. They will always allow you to make 911 calls regardless of whether or not you are under contract. If you mean emergencies that don't involve calling 911, you can buy a prepaid phone card which will allow you to do the same without having any sort of contract or annual fee.
You should try to gain a better understanding of the problem before you try to propose solutions to it.
Mmmm.. Donuts
Please point me to a prepaid plan where the minutes don't expire. Every one I have found expires after a few months, creating a de-facto annual fee.
Do you have the better understanding you said the OP did not have?
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
Right now, AT&T is "Open" in the fact that you can bring a device to them that operates on the US 1900MHz and 850MHz GSM bands, and purchase a SIM card for service without a contract.
Verizon says that you can bring a CDMA handset to their network, I'm not sure with contract or not.