Sree's Thoughts on Switching Cell Phone Numbers
Sunday, Nov. 23, 2003

With the big new changes coming to cell phones - you can now take your cell number with you if you make a switch; and you can switch your landline number to a cell phone (and vice versa) - here are some tips to keep in mind:

* NOT ALL TOWNS: Only the top 100 meto areas figure in this first stage - the rest will follow-up by May 2004. In our viewing area:
NY: New York City, Nassau, Suffolk
NJ: Bergen/Passaic, Jersey City, Middlesex/Somerset, Monmouth, Newark
CT: Hartford, New Have/Meriden
Seee the full list here by 100 largest, or to see by county (PDF)

* DON'T CANCEL TILL THE NEW SERVICE STARTS: Make sure your phone can make and receive calls before you cancel your current service.

* CONTRACT PENALTIES: Many carriers offer low rates for multi-year contracts. If you are doing what's called "early termination" of your contract, you might have to pay a stiff price, often in the $150-200 range

* MAY NEED A NEW PHONE: Because all cell carrriers have problems with compatibility, you are very likely to need a new phone instrument when making the switch.

* TIMING ISSUES: A celL to cell transfer should take less than three hourse, but a landline to cell transfer can take several business days.

* BRING YOUR LATEST BILL: This will help the new carrier figure out your exact starus.

* Three websites:
PortMyNumber.com - agood resource for those interested in this topic.
EasyPorting.com - Ditto here.
www.fcc.gov/cgb/NumberPortability - learn exactly how it work from the Federal agency in charge of this.

Write to techguru@sree.net and let me know your thoughts.