Landline phone users all over the nation are “cutting the cord,” without having to give up their home phone numbers.
It is an option called local number portability, allowing you not only to keep your wireless number when you switch to a new wireless provider, but also to transfer your landline number to your cell phone.
Though AT&T; isn’t seeing a lot of requests, “it is something we are seeing more of,” said Adam Cormier, spokesman. “We’re seeing people do that for a variety of reasons.”
For many, a wireless network can offer exactly what people are looking for in order to communicate more effectively, he said.
“The phone is always with you, and you’re not tied to the house or a particular location,” he said. “The devices themselves today are so far more advanced than they were a year ago. You are able to do more.”
Many people are changing their calling behavior, he said. They are texting and e-mailing more, in addition to making the traditional phone call.
AT&T; has been porting numbers from landline to wireless since 2003. There is no extra charge for this service.
Verizon has also been offering this service since 2003, and does not charge a specific fee for porting numbers to or from their service.
According to their Web site, to be eligible to port your number to a new provider, it must remain associated with the same local geographic area where it is currently assigned, and the area must be an area where Verizon currently provides service coverage.
The Federal Communication Commission urges those interested in porting their number to a new service to check with the new service provider for any fees that may be incurred during the transfer. They should also check with the provider for the length of time the porting process will take.
The new carrier will then begin the porting process.
Thought a mandate in most cases, not all wireline companies are yet required to port landline numbers to wireless carriers. A few have exemptions until the FCC completes and publishes a study about the effect of the porting rules on small carriers, the FCC reports.
Customers of D&E; Communications can elect to port their wireline number to a wireless carrier, according to Scott Sandall, director of strategic planning for the company, which operates Buffalo Valley Telephone in Union County, along with two other regulated phone companies in Pennsylvania.
It’s a fairly seamless process,” he said.
From a regulatory standpoint, he added, most wireless providers have data connection that allow the numbers to be ported easily.
“We do have some people port their numbers,” he said. “It’s a not a huge number. Others like the advantage of starting with a brand new wireless number.”
This is due in part to the overwhelming calls of telemarketers and other unwanted phone calls, he said. “It’s an opportunity to start over.”
However, their landline number is also most likely called by friends and family, and instead of giving them all a new number, this allows them to continue to call the number they have always known.
“They like this just for convenience sake,” Sandall said. “There’s definitely a part of the population that doesn’t have a problem running solely on a wireless device.”
While wireline to wireless portability may seem like it would hurt many landline providers, Sandall said D&E; Communications is bundling services in an effort to keep their customers. Some people, he said, may elect to keep their landline and just choose a lower cost service, because their long-distance option can now be switched to their wireless account.
In the Lewisburg area, he said, there is an option for a “triple play” bundle that includes video, Internet, and phone connectivity.
Many small businesses, he said, take advantage of these economy bundles.
“We want to provide as many options as we can,” Sandall said.
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