Verizon Wireless today issued tips for consumers that will help them prepare to move their wireless or landline number to a new wireless provider after Local Number Portability (LNP) becomes available on November 24th.
"Industry analysts have estimated anywhere between 20 and 40 percent of wireless customers are ready to change carriers, and have been waiting for the day they can do that without having to change the phone number their friends and clients have been using to reach them," said John Harrobin, vice president-Marketing for Verizon Wireless' 12-state West Area. "Verizon Wireless has been doing extensive work to prepare for LNP. Our $60 million investment includes developing systems to automate the process to the extent possible, implementing network and billing enhancements, training thousands of employees on various processes and building a national facility staffed with more than 900 employees to help resolve porting issues with customers and their other carriers. But there are some things consumers can do, and should know, that will help them move their number as easily as possible."
Harrobin offered the following:
- Portability: Not all numbers are portable; it primarily depends on geography and where the number was originally connected. A Verizon Wireless representative can automatically tell you whether a non- Verizon Wireless phone number is portable to Verizon Wireless, according to Federal Communications Commission guidelines.
- Process Time: Porting a phone number involves two carriers. Although Verizon Wireless is only able to control half of the porting process, we're committed to working with other carriers to port numbers within 24-hours. As carriers get used to this new, complex national process, we expect to complete a majority of wireless-to-wireless single "port" requests within three hours. Wireline-to-wireless ports, may take up to four days, or possibly longer, based on complexity of the port and the wireline carrier.
- Equipment: Many customers will need a new wireless phone, since different wireless companies use different technologies.
- Live Number Required: Don't cancel service before switching. A number must be active to switch; in other words, customers wanting to switch carriers must keep their service active with their old provider until the port is complete.
- Bringing A Recent Bill Will Help: Customers should bring their most recent bill from their old carrier with them, and know any account- related passwords, to speed the porting process.
- Expect Dual Service: Customers will need to carry their old and new phones until the port is complete, the old phone for receiving calls, the new phone for making calls. In an emergency, we recommend that you place calls to 911 from your old handset as Emergency Services will not be able to call you back on your new handset until the port is complete. Also, although both old and new carriers will bill for calls, customers will not be billed twice for the same phone call.
- Be Prepared To Provide Can-Be-Reached Number: Customers should be prepared to provide a phone number where they can be reached during the porting process to expedite the resolution of any problems.
- Status Information: Customers porting their number to Verizon Wireless will be given a number to call for status updates and will receive a free TXT message notifying them when the process is complete.
- Old Features: Saved voicemail messages will not transfer to the customer's new phone. Verizon Wireless retail stores in the western U.S. will be able transfer contact phone numbers from a customer's old phone to their new phone for free.
- Contract Terms Apply: Portability does not relieve any customer of contract obligations.
"One final thought," said Harrobin. "Although all carriers will be offering holiday promotions, customers would be best served by talking to friends about their experiences with their carriers before switching. After all, a phone is only as good as the network it operates on."