The numbers game

Local number portability and call-forwarding technology change the rules for your phones.

How many phone numbers do you have? There’s your cell phone, home phone, business phone—maybe even a pager. If you ever considered changing wireless providers, wanted to consolidate phone lines, or wondered about going exclusively wireless, the November 2003 Federal Communications Commission mandate regarding local number portability may have piqued your interest.

The ruling basically states that you are allowed to keep a phone number when you change wireless-service providers and, in many cases, when you switch from a land line to wireless service or vice versa. That means you don’t have to throw out the stationery, envelopes, business cards, and other materials imprinted with your cell-phone number when you switch to a new wireless provider. It also may enable you to get rid of your office’s land line and transfer that number, which you’ve been using for many years, to your cell phone.

It sounds like a great idea, but is it right for you?

Don’t move

If you live in one of the largest 100 metropolitan statistical areas in the country, as of Nov. 24, 2003, you could take advantage of local number portability. Area residents of Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth-Arlington, San Antonio, Austin-San Marcos, El Paso, and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission fall into these areas. Outside of these regions, local number portability is scheduled to go into effect May 24, 2004.

A new phone provider, whether for wireless or land-based service, must cover the same geographic area as your current one to port the number. And if you move—even from one neighborhood within a city to another—there are no guarantees that a number can move with you.

Switching could cost you

According to an Associated Press report, about 75% of the nation’s 152 million cell-phone users are under contract and subject to penalty fees for early termination. While the FCC ruling provides you with more options than before, the new regulations don’t let you jump ship if you’re under contract. And you probably can’t use the same phone with a new wireless provider.

Most wireless calls in the U.S. today travel on one of three technologies: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Currently, TDMA and CDMA dominate the American market, but GSM—the standard in Europe and Asia—is slowly gaining ground in the U.S.

A new provider may try to convince you to “upgrade” to the newer GSM technology, which has limited coverage, mostly in urban areas. If you do switch to GSM or any network that differs from your old plan, ensure your contract includes a trial period or another escape clause you can exercise if the coverage doesn’t meet your needs. Be aware that even switching between providers that share the same type of network doesn’t guarantee you won’t need a new phone. Companies often support only one brand of phone for their network.

Going forward

If you’d rather not give up your land line yet, Cingular Wireless offers FastForward, a feature that enables your cell phone to forward calls to your traditional home or business phone. Other wireless providers offer the ability to forward incoming wireless calls to another phone, but Cingular came up with a twist—the forwarded calls don’t count against your monthly minutes.

For $3 a month, any Cingular customer can purchase a $40 cradle that charges the phone and routes incoming calls to one of three preprogrammed numbers. Callers never know the difference, and you get to give out one number, your cell phone, that can reach you in several places. FastForward also can help if wireless reception at your home is poor, since incoming wireless calls now get routed onto your better-quality land line.

Of course, you must sign up as a Cingular Wireless customer to have the option of adding FastForward to your wireless plan. Other providers are sure to roll out enticing features as technology evolves and companies offer innovations to attract more customers.

Photo © Picturequest.

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