Cell Phone Number Portability Tips And Updates

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The most common question we get when consumers are shopping for a new cellular phone is "can we keep the same cellular phone number?" It's by far the most frequently asked question we receive. Since each cellular phone provider such as AT&T, Sprint or Verizon are independent of each other, when switching cell phone plans it was impossible to keep your old cell phone number and move it to another provider. That is, until November 24th, 2003.

Here are our tips on how you can benefit and save due to cell phone number portability:

Big news! You now have the ability to transfer your home telephone numbers to a wireless phone starting November 24th, 2003. More Details
Starting on May 24th 2004, all cities and areas will be allowed to transfer cell phone numbers between carriers. Previously, only the top 100 US Cities were allowed this feature.
Watch for amazing deals, and don't lock yourself into a two year contact. Already, Sprint has started unlimited night minutes at 7:00 instead of 9:00. T-Mobile has unlimited extended weekend minutes including fridays, saturdays and sundays. Make sure you take advantage of the best promotion possible.
Your service agreement is still in effect with your old carrier. If you still have a contract with your current cellular provider, if you try to switch you cell phone number you may get charged a cancellation fee.
You can only keep you cell phone number if you remain in your local calling area.
Keep a copy of your current cellular carrier phone bill. The carriers are relying on billing systems to port your number and switch service. In order to correctly 'sync and switch' your cell phone number you must give the EXACT NAME and ADDRESS on your current cellular provider bill. If your bill says 100 Street for example, it must be entered in as 100 Street and not 100 St. If entered incorrectly, it will result in delays and your incoming phone calls may not get routed correctly.
Do not terminate service before signing up for a new service. Your new cellular carrier will do this when the porting process starts.
When switching carriers, you will probably need to get a new phone. Most carriers only have certain phones that work with their systems. Use the free phone that is included in the plan. After all, it's free, and it will work best with the carriers network. A new phone will likely have the latest cell phone technology. For example, we sell T-Mobile phones which support GSM mobile cell phone technology - GSM allows you to call anywhere outside the U.S, where other technologies may not.
If you would like to keep your current cell phone AND number when switching carriers, it's important to know what type of cell phone technology your phone is, and who supports it. For example, if you have a TDMA phone, you will need to switch to a carrier that supports TDMA technology, GSM to GSM and so on.
Inquire about the portability and pooling fees that may get charged to your bill. Your old carrier will charge a one-time fee (Each carrier charges a different fee, looks to be between $2-$5). Your new carrier may add a monthly portability fee of $1-$2 to your bill to help recoup carrier costs.
Consider waiting several weeks before attempting to switch your cell phone number and service to other carriers. It may seem strange that we sell cell phones and are encouraging people to wait, but portability is a new process. It's worth noting that the carriers themselves have not tested the portability process fully. There is potential for service errors and horror stories. Our site recommends to wait until at least mid December to switch your cell phone number. However, our site will be ready for cell phone number portability on November 24th if you decide that you can no longer wait.