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[ NNSquad ] Google Voice permitting porting of mobile phone numbers


Google Voice permitting porting of mobile phone numbers

http://bit.ly/eaaOJh  (Engadget)

The comments associated with this link illustrate the expected
confusion about this procedure.

One issue of course, is that by definition it needs to be a mobile
number at this point, and porting that number terminates the existing
service plan for that phone, and may trigger early termination
charges.

If you only have one mobile phone, and you port its mobile number to
GV, what number are you using on your mobile phone?  None.  So that
phone is offline unless you get another number.  I'm wondering how
many people actually have working mobile numbers to "spare" in this
kind of scenario for porting?  

Normally when you a change a mobile number you're not able to port the
old one, you have to give it up.  Hmm.  Obviously, the real game
changer would be porting of landline numbers, but that might trigger
carrier-level regulatory scrutiny, depending on FCC interpretation.

This appears right now to mainly apply to people who have two or more
mobile phones and are willing to shut one down anyway, or go through
the hassle of shutting down their only mobile phone and then
restarting with a new number, toward the goal of preserving the
original mobile number as a GV number.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com)
http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
Co-Founder, PFIR (People For Internet Responsibility): http://www.pfir.org
Founder, NNSquad (Network Neutrality Squad): http://www.nnsquad.org
Founder, GCTIP (Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance): 
   http://www.gctip.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Google Buzz: http://bit.ly/lauren-buzz