Carrier Switches Get Mixed Results

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-5111423.html?tag=nefd_top' target='_blank'>http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-511...ml?tag=nefd_top</a><br /><br /></div>"New federal rules that let cell phone customers keep their old numbers after switching carriers debuted with mixed results Monday, with some service providers encountering glitches and others reporting long lines."<br /><br />If you didn't hear, today was the first day to feature local number portability (LNP) in most of the US -- you can now, in theory, switch between wireless carriers or even from landline carriers and keep the same number, with some limitations. Unsurprisingly, day 1 results were mixed -- the carriers have some fine-tweaking left to make the process smoother. However, I'm curious as to what your plans are, now that LNP is a reality.

[arebelspy]

I switched two weeks ago.

Didn't want to keep my old number, everyone knew me there. :twisted: \

And I was switching from Sprint to T-Mobile so I could get Unlimited Data on my XDA II, and I didn't want to wait two weeks so I could keep my number. ;)

I didn't switch because of LNP, but because of better coverage and features. And isn't that what it's all about anyways?

-arebelspy

[ricksfiona]

T-Mobile has been very good to me... This is after Sprint and Verizon (really bad). So I won't be switching.

The good part to all this is hopefully better customer service and lower pricing (yeah!)

I have an awesome cell phone number and am glad this solution has become a reality. This free's me up to getting THE best pricing plan for my needs.

[silentmuse]

I'll be happy when we can move our phone numbers in Canada. would make my life easier....

[rmasinag]

I still have a pager! lol :lol:

I'm waiting for XDA II to go a bit cheaper or that IPAQ 6000 series they been eager about

[TopDog]

I still have a pager!
Whow... up here, they've shut down the pager-services because no one used it anymore...

We got number-portability a couple of years ago here in Norway, and the first year "everybody" switched operators, and then it calmed down, and now it's "back to normal".

[aroma]

I'm not that interested in switching, but I'm anxious to see what type of new services my carrier offers to entice me not to switch...

- Aaron

[nGage]

Had it here in Australia for a year or so now too. Same story too. Quite a bit of chaos initially and then things settled down.

Here's a thought. Maybe one day we'll be able to have the same telephone number for life, no matter what country or city we move to. Or at least untill the telephone spam gets so bad you chuck in the number and get a new one.

Sound familiar?

[mhskateboarder]

I'm fine with my current provider, just not happy with my current phone. It's never fun when the person on the other side just starts to fade away but they can still here you clearly. Come on Christmas money...

[Foo Fighter]

I don't plan on leaving Verizon anytime soon. They are the best carrier, overall, IMO. And I'm VERY happy with my coverage and service. The only gripe I have, as usual, is their dismal PHONE SELECTION. Yikes! Talk about low-end products. They still sell the old Kyocera Smartphone, and only just recently launched the Motorola MS Smartphone...for $500! 8O And they still haven't adopted the Treo 600, even though EVERY OTHER wireless carrier has done so.

Verizon is a fabulous wireless carrier, but if you are anything more than a casual cell phone user, their phone offerings will leave you banging your head against the wall. :evil:

[Askani]

I'm currently with Sprint and have no plans to switch, EVER! They have the best coverage nationwide (now that I have added free roaming), as well as the best data network. They've always had the newest and best phones (Sanyo) . They have just introduced ReadyLink which is already better then Verizon's push to talk and will start to give Nextel some competition. Most importantly they are the most flexible in that they will go to great lenghts to keep customers (just look at all the various retention threads at different sites). Besides I got a great plan with them:
2500 Anytime Minutes (50% roaming), Unlimted Night & Weekends (50% roaming), Unlimited PCS to PCS, Unlimited Vision, ReadyLink (about to be added), 3 Phones on this shared plan = $105 - 25% (corporate discount) = $78.00

[CoreyJF]

For Now I am keeping my cell phone through verizon beacuse I have a few months left on my contract and it is cheaper to pay the minimal service plan then end early. I did toss my landline over to T-mobile today and have been playing with my ipaq and t610. Can't make any calls yet. Seems they have a harder time porting Landline phones. I just don't see the point of having a land line and cell anymore. So once my contract is up with VZW I will just use the one phone.

[SofaTater]

I live in one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S., in one of the largest metro areas in the U.S., but we live in a wireless phone dead spot. When we first moved here two years ago, our Sprint phones would not work -- no signal at all. We switched to T-Mobile, which at least gives us a weak signal.

I may try switching to Cingular or Verizon on a trial basis just to see if I can find a provider that gives better coverage in our little corner of the city. If not, I may just use the latest marketing blitz to at least upgrade to some better phones -- our old Nokias are not the greatest...

[Askani]

What cell were you using with Sprint that gave you no signal? Was it an older phone? If so, try one of the new Sanyos' they have great reception (can get a signal in my basement before I could not). I don't know if Veriozn would be better because both they and Sprint use a 1900mhz CDMA network. BTW, what city do you live in?

[Scott R]

I didn't vote because there wasn't really an option for me. I'm not interested in moving my number right now because I don't give out my number, so changing it is not a big deal. However, I am hoping that this new act does affect me in that it results in seeing some better deals going around. I have Sprint and am happy (for the most part) with their coverage and pricing, and especially happy with the speed and pricing of their data plan. However, I really want a Bluetooth phone to pair with a PDA as my Treo 300's screen res is getting old and the Treo 600 made no improvement in that regard. If they'll release the T608 and let me connect it to my PDA at the same data pricing they currently have, I would be very happy. Or, if Cingular or AT&T would offer better data pricing, I'd probably switch to them with the Nokia 3600/3650. T-Mobile's data plan is good, but according to all the coverage maps I've seen, their coverage is awful in CT.

Scott

[Thinkingmandavid]

I am staying with Cingular, everywhere I go it works great for me.
I moved from Texas to Maryland and had reception for the most part. When you get into certain parts of the country all the carriers are hurting for reception.
There really is no one best carrier, it is the carrier that meets your needs.
Someone will say Sprint is crap, then someone will say they are great. What counts is the kind of service YOU are getting and if YOU are happy with it.

[xendula]

LNP has been possible here for the past year or so, but, surprisingly, not many people make use of it. I would use that possiblity if I were to switch carriers, which I won't in the near future. Not a big difference between them over here, same phones and mostly same services and prices.

[disconnected]

Now that it seems that Sprint will never actually release a bluetooth phone, I'd consider switching, but so far I haven't spent the time to do a comparison of everything that's available.

I've been waiting for bluetooth, but I'd even consider an MS Smartphone to use for internet access -- I'd carry both it and my iPAQ. I started looking at ATT. They've been advertising high-speed data, but the fine print says it's not available everywhere (probably hardly anywhere), and their data prices look horrendous. My Sprint plan is reasonably priced. It includes unlimited data, and although you're not supposed to use it with a PDA, I've not had any problems with it -- maybe because the PDA/cord/phone setup is such a pain that I don't use it often.

[SofaTater]

What cell were you using with Sprint that gave you no signal? Was it an older phone? If so, try one of the new Sanyos' they have great reception (can get a signal in my basement before I could not). I don't know if Veriozn would be better because both they and Sprint use a 1900mhz CDMA network. BTW, what city do you live in?

We had three different phones, including mine which was fairly new and one of Sprint's highest-end at the time. There just weren't any Sprint cell towers close by. Even now, two years later, when friends using Sprint visit, they still get a very weak or no signal...

This is one of the far-north suburbs of Dallas, TX. Sprint worked great when we lived 15 miles south of where we are now...

[Vincent M Ferrari]

I started looking at ATT. They've been advertising high-speed data, but the fine print says it's not available everywhere (probably hardly anywhere)...

Understatement of the year...

[tanalasta]

Well australia's been allowing people to port their mobile numbers for a couple of years now :) And we all do it! Nobody wants to send 200 sms's (depending on the size of your address book) to all their friends everytime they get a new phone. There were heaps of glitches when it first started out (paperwork, took at least 2 days) but things have improved heaps since then. Guidelines were set in place and nowadays not only is porting your number usually free, but takes less than 2 hours. Actually, I managed to do it just yesterday and my new phone was up and running in about 30 minutes after i signed the contract! :)

[bdegroodt]

My guess is that until someone's contract comes up for expiration, not too many people are so peeved by their carrier that would pony up th $150+ to leave.

Been using Verizon for my "home" phone for about 6 months and can't say enough good things about how clear the calls are...Plus I get to talk in the subway (Hey Janak- One upside to my move south). TMobile was great for me in NYC, but terrible in DC. But I keep them for data and a minimal voice contract just in case I don't want to carry 2 phones and a PPC for some odd reason.

[Janak Parekh]

Plus I get to talk in the subway (Hey Janak- One upside to my move south).
Absolutely true... :lol: But on the other hand, I like the silence for a change. ;)

BTW, one thing we must realize is that all carriers have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm settled on Verizon for now, because they simply are beyond amazing in the Northeast. I share Foo's sentiments, though, on phone selection. If they didn't have the i600 or the i700 I probably would continue with a GSM carrier...

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

I still have a pager!
Whow... up here, they've shut down the pager-services because no one used it anymore...
I believe that's slowly happening in the US now. Most pager companies aren't really making money here, except for a few big ones, like SkyTel.

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

And they still haven't adopted the Treo 600, even though EVERY OTHER wireless carrier has done so.
I believe that's because Sprint gave Handspring $$ to make the CDMA Treos exclusive to them. Smart business move, but sucks for those who want it on Verizon. :evil:

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

I didn't vote because there wasn't really an option for me. I'm not interested in moving my number right now because I don't give out my number, so changing it is not a big deal. However, I am hoping that this new act does affect me in that it results in seeing some better deals going around.
Sorry... while I tried to get coverage on the options, "cashing in" wasn't something that occurred to me. But good point.

If they'll release the T608 and let me connect it to my PDA at the same data pricing they currently have, I would be very happy.
TONS of people are hoping Sprint will. I've seen the petitions. 8O

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

LNP has been possible here for the past year or so, but, surprisingly, not many people make use of it.
I have a feeling that with the drastically different coverage properties of each carrier here, there'll be more incentive to switch. We'll see.

--janak

[PetiteFlower]

Not planning on switching soon, I like Sprint, like the unlimited Vision, like that I can connect it to my PDA via cable, love that I can IM on my phone(with AirIM, just came out of beta), don't LOVE my phone but it's the only one I could use for a data connection with my (non-bt) pda.

Being able to keep my number IS a factor, but it would be a MUCH nicer thing to be able to keep my PHONE!

From what I can tell, Verizon really does have amazing coverage in the northeast, but I really have no complaints about Sprint. When I first got them they were spotty, but the service has been improving steadily over the past couple of years. I have service all the places I go regularly now, so I'm happy :)

[arjay]

Well australia's been allowing people to port their mobile numbers for a couple of years now :) And we all do it! Nobody wants to send 200 sms's (depending on the size of your address book) to all their friends everytime they get a new phone. There were heaps of glitches when it first started out (paperwork, took at least 2 days) but things have improved heaps since then. Guidelines were set in place and nowadays not only is porting your number usually free, but takes less than 2 hours. Actually, I managed to do it just yesterday and my new phone was up and running in about 30 minutes after i signed the contract! :)

We'll get there eventually. Carriers in the U.S. have two types of numbers:
Type 1, which are actually blocks of numbers retained by the RBOCS, and used by the Wireless Service Providers, and;
Type 2, which belong to the Wireless Service Providers themselves.
Type 1's are the most difficult to port, because they have to be released by the RBOCs, and the process is somewhat lengthy (3-10 days for a single number in most areas). Type 2's OTOH are already in the Wireless Carriers Switch, and can be ported much more quickly, and will soon approach the 2 hour time period you have in Australia, once the systems are tweaked to accommodate the requests.

Bottom line for most people is you now have an edge in bargaining with your current provider that you never had before. That should make things better for all of us.

[divajess]

I have been unhappy with Sprint, mostly because my service was paid for by my company and I didn't have much choice. However, beggars can't be choosers, so I dealt with it. I also wanted a good data plan, and they charged me extra for checking my email a few times a day with a few IMs here and there, even though I was on their unlimited Vision. :evil:

I am also leaving the company to pursue better positions elsewhere, so I got the number ported over to T-Mobile this past weekend. My only gripe so far is that it's taking forever to get the activationgoing. I know that they're inundated with requests now that the number portability is in place, but it is now 5 days later and still no phone service. I talked to them yesterday (day 4) and they said it'd be 48 more hours. ARGH!

At least I've got the new free WAP access to look forward to...