Tips for navigating number-portability process

Five suggestions for smooth switching

By Om Malik
Business 2.0
Friday, November 21, 2003 Posted: 12:15 PM EST (1715 GMT)

(Business 2.0) -- In days, we will all become masters of our phone domains. Thanks to the new number-portability rules pushed forward by the Federal Communications Commission, consumers can switch wireless carriers without losing their cell-phone numbers.

We can also take our home phone numbers and turn them into wireless digits. But the switching process -- an enormous undertaking for the industry -- won't always run smoothly. Here are five tips for switching carriers painlessly:

• First determine whether you live in an area where cell-phone number portability will be available. Initial implementation will cover only the top 100 biggest metropolitan areas. You'll find regular updates on these sites: CellUpdate.com, NumberPortability.com, Wirefly.com, and MyRatePlan.com.

• Switch only if you don't have a long-term contract. Otherwise the penalties -- early termination charges, for example -- will make any change costly. Added to the cost of a new phone, they could offset any potential benefits.

• Do your switching through official carrier stores. The guys at your local electronics and one-stop phone shops aren't up to speed on number portability.

• Back up your cell-phone contact-list data on your computer, unless you want to spend an entire weekend punching phone numbers into your new handset.

• Expect problems. Migrating on the scale the industry expects is complex and untested. Don't be surprised if you're without service for hours, if not longer.

A final word of advice: Wait a few months before you switch. Prices will decline soon enough, and experts believe that better deals are going to emerge closer to Christmas, when the price war gets brutal. If you have no plans to switch, this is a great time to renegotiate your contract for a better deal. Consumers are finally in control. Enjoy it while you can.

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