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Basics 

As you've probably heard by now, the FCC has mandated that U.S. wireless carriers allow customers to keep their phone numbers when switching carriers. The mandate is designed to make the market more competitive, by removing a barrier that previously made many people reluctant to switch carriers. This new freedom is called Wireless Local Number Portability (WLNP), and the mandate takes effect November 24, 2003.

The road leading up to this historic day was a difficult one. The FCC's original deadline for WLNP was June 1999. Carriers protested, citing technical difficulty and cost. Their case was not without merit, as upgrading systems to handle WLNP is estimated to cost many carriers over $50 million. The upgrades are expensive because portability changes fundamental aspects of how phone calls are routed and billed. Especially complex are roaming situations.

The FCC relented to carrier protest at first, pushing the deadline back three times - first to March 2000, then to November 2002, and most recently to November 2003. But this time the FCC has finally dug in its heels, stuck to the deadline, and now Number Portability is finally here.

Why switch?

Many people are fed up with their current carrier, and are looking forward to number portability to make a long-awaited switch. However, there may be reasons to switch even if you're not among the disgruntled masses. With the extra freedom of portability, you may find reasons to switch even if your current carrier isn't all that bad.

Because portability will make the market more competitive, many carriers have recently announced new services and more attractive pricing as a pre-emptive strike. For example, AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless recently launched new, faster data services, while Sprint and T-Mobile recently announced offers that include significantly longer night/weekend unlimited calling periods.

But wait...

If you have decided to switch carriers, November 24th isn't necessarily the magic day. Like opening week of a blockbuster movie, there is expected to be a huge rush the first few days. Compounding the problem, portability involves countless new, hastily-tested, interconnected computer systems going online all on the same day, under heavy load - something any IT person can tell you is a recipe for trouble.

It is unknown what kind of problems may arise, but most analysts and people in the industry agree that everything going smoothly from day one would be a miracle. Delays are the most common issue expected. Therefore, it may be prudent to wait until the rush is over - specifically, until media reports indicate things are running smoothly.

However, if you're trying to get the best deal, you probably shouldn't wait too long. Many of the current promotional offers will expire at or near the end of the year. Therefore, mid-December may be the best time to make your switch.

Consider the alternative

Just because you can keep your number, doesn't mean you should. Do people call you or have your number that you'd rather not hear from? Consider not keeping your number when you switch carriers. Of course, if you rely on your phone for business, that may not be an option. But for many people, it may be worth the hassle of telling friends and family the new number.

Cut the cord

One of the greatest aspects of portability is that it includes land lines as well. In fact, number portability between local land line carriers has been available since 1999.

But wireless portability includes the ability to move your number from a land line to a wireless phone, and vice-versa. If your land line is the primary number you give to other people, and you want to get rid of your land line, this is great opportunity to "cut the cord", and go completely wireless.

Catches 

If you want to do the number portability dance, it's easier than you probably think. But there are some important catches and limitations you should know first:

It doesn't apply in all areas

The FCC's November deadline only applies to the top 100 largest metro areas in the country (as defined by the most recent Census). To see if your area is included, check our Availability Map. (see following pages)

If the phone number you want to keep is not based in one of the areas above, the FCC's deadline for carriers being able to port your number - in most cases - is May 24, 2004. However, you should still contact the new carrier you want to switch to and ask if they can port your number. Some companies may allow porting before the deadline.

Also, smaller carriers are not required to port numbers until six months after they receive their first genuine porting request. Therefore, your request could be the one that forces a smaller carrier to comply with the government's mandate.

Contracts still apply

Just because you can switch your service and keep your number, doesn't nullify any contract you may be under. If you are still under a service contract, you can switch at any time, but you will still owe monthly fees to your old carrier, or be forced to pay a hefty termination fee. You don't have to end your contract or settle your bill before you transfer your number - your old carrier is required to transfer your number even if you are under contract or owe money - but you will still owe the money.

You'll need a new phone

In most cases, you will not be able to use your old phone with your new carrier. Some carriers use different wireless technologies that are simply incompatible.

But even if both carriers happen to use the same technology, most phones sold by U.S. carriers are intentionally "locked" so that they will not work with another carrier. That's because most phones are sold cheaply at a loss to the carrier; the "lock" is a way to protect the carrier's investment in you as a customer.

The possible exception is if you have an unlocked GSM phone. If you're not sure, then you phone is almost certainly locked. If you're a long-time T-Mobile customer, it may be worth calling customer service before you switch, and asking if they will give you the unlock code.

If you know you have an unlocked GSM phone, then you can probably take it with you to AT&T Wireless or T-Mobile. If you want to switch to Cingular, make sure it supports GSM 850, or it will not work on most of Cingular's network. If you want to switch to Verizon, Sprint, or another carrier, you're out of luck.

You may be charged a fee

Your old carrier may charge you a one-time porting fee to transfer your number. The FCC hasn't put any strict limits on the fee, except to say that it should be "reasonable and just". This is different from any number portability fee you may be seeing already on your monthly bill.

Portable is not transportable

Area codes still have the same meaning in the era of portability. You can't move a number to different city. So if you move across the country, your number will still be local in the old city, and you may be subject to roaming charges. In addition, some carriers have little-publicized restrictions on what portion of your minutes can be used outside your "home" area, and that your billing address must be in your "home" area.

Landline transfers take longer

For wireless-to-wireless transfers, the process should be fairly quick. Official industry and FCC guidelines call for the process to take no longer than two and a half hours. But if you're transferring your number from a land line to wireless, the official industry guidelines suggest that you should allow four business days for the process to complete.

The timeframes are only guidelines, however, not set-in-stone requirements. With both types of transfers, your number should remain active the entire time - active on one or phone or the other. Also, certain non-basic services may take longer to activate on the new carrier.

Switching 

It starts with the new carrier

First, don't cancel your old service. In fact, you don't even need to notify your old carrier or talk to them at all beforehand.

The first step, of course, is to pick a new carrier, along with your new service plan and phone. As always, it's paramount to make sure any carrier you consider has good coverage in your area. The cheapest plan or snazziest phone are worthless if you can't make calls where you need to.

Don't pay attention to blanket statements about which carrier has better coverage in general or in the past. Coverage can vary wildly in different areas, and improve dramatically over time. So try to find people in your area who currently use the carrier you're considering, and ask about their recent experience with coverage, signal, and dropped calls.

Once you choose a carrier, switching starts with your new carrier. Just tell them what you want to do, and they can transfer your number for you.

Have your old bill handy

Your new carrier will need detailed information about your account with the old carrier. You should have a copy of your most recent bill from your old carrier. If you request the transfer at a store - bring the old bill with you. The information needs to be as accurate as possible, or your number transfer could be delayed significantly. Also be prepared to verify your identity. This is for your protection, so no one else can "steal" your number.

Closing the old account comes last

Once your new phone is activated and your number transfer is complete, then you can go back to your old carrier to close your account and settle your final bill. Again, your old carrier can not refuse to transfer your number because you have an ongoing contract or owe money. (Of course, you will still owe that money.)

Don't trash your old phone

There are many ways you can donate your old phone to a worthy cause, or safely recycle it so the toxic materials inside don't get into landfills. See the next page for links to several web sites that can help you find a place to donate or recycle your phone.

Links 

Here are direct links to other information about number portability, from various unbiased sources:

• FCC's WLNP Consumer Info
  The FCC is the government agency that regulates telecom and wireless, and handed down the number portability mandate
• CTIA's EasyPorting.com (mostly PDF format)
  General industry info site for number portability. CTIA is the independent industry group that represents all major wireless carriers
• Donate-A-Phone
  CTIA Wireless Foundation site for donating phones to charitable causes
• Wireless: The New Recyclable
  CTIA's FAQ and dropoff location finder for recycling old phones
• CNET
  Quick article with good advice by CNET's Cell Phone Diva

Here is specific number portability information from the carriers themselves:

• Verizon
• Cingular
• AT&T Wireless
• Sprint
• Nextel
• T-Mobile
• U.S. Cellular

More links:

• Amazon.com
  Detailed step-by-step guide for switching to T-Mobile, Nextel, or Sprint through Amazon.com

Availability Map 

The map below shows the top 100 MSAs. These are areas where the FCC has mandated that number portability take effect November 24, 2003. For the remaining areas, the deadline in most cases is May 24, 2004.

For more detail, the FCC has a document that lists counties included in each MSA:

Top 100 MSAs by County
(PDF file - download Adobe PDF Reader here)

Although referred to as the "Top 100" MSAs, there are actually 102 areas. This is because between deadline delays, the 2000 census was released. Population shifts caused the top 100 list to change, so the FCC decided to include all MSAs that were in the top 100 in either the 1990 OR 2000 census.

view article organized across multiple pages

Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.

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