Number Portability

By Mel Metts

Last month while looking for ways to cut business expenses, I gave some thought to eliminating my business phone line and using my cell phone exclusively.

I work out of my house. Until now, my system was to use my business landline when at home, and forward that to my cell phone whenever I was away from home. By eliminating my business landline, how would I be able to forward calls to my cell?

At first I considered signing up with Vonage, a service that uses VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) over broadband (high speed Internet connection). Our investment group uses Vonage even though we don’t have our own broadband connection. After logging into our Vonage account, we have the ability to forward the phone to any number. The phone is setup to forward to a board member.

While investigating the Vonage option, I kept seeing the phrase, “number portability.” I already knew that I could switch cell phone providers and keep my cell phone number. I had not been aware that I could port my landline to a non-landline service.

After thinking about a switch to Vonage (cheapr than AT&T) so I could forward my business number to my cell phone, I realized I might be able to skip Vonage altogether and port my number to my cell.

I called Verizon and asked if this was possible. Sure, no problem; there’s no charge to switch and the process can take up to ten business days. I gave Verizon the go-ahead.

Over the following days I would frequently check my landline for a dial tone. Several days later the dial tone was gone and I knew that those calls were going to my cell phone.

There was one hiccup during the transition. After Verizon made the switch, my cell phone was unable to send or receive calls. One call to Verizon customer service solved the problem; they gave me instructions to reset my phone (system reset) and I was back in business.

During the glitch, incoming calls went directly to my voicemail. After resetting my phone I was able to retrieve my voicemail messages. Apparently none were lost.

In summary, number portability applies to landlines as well as cell phones.

Mel Metts is a landlord and Realtor, serving fellow investors. His book, “Do it Yourself Evictions” is available for purchase at http://www.melmetts.com.