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Wireless Companies, Consumers Gear Up for Number Portability

Posted on: Monday, 10 November 2003, 06:00 CST

Nov. 11--People hoping to switch their cellphone numbers to another provider later this month will need one thing above all: Patience.

The typical big holiday shopping crowd at wireless stores is expected to be even bigger this year as consumers in the nation's 100 biggest urban areas win the right to keep their numbers beginning Nov. 24, the Monday before Thanksgiving.

While the six biggest national wireless companies say they are ready to handle "number portability," they are bracing for long lines and trying to manage consumers' expectations. They are also not completely sure how computer systems will react when asked to transfer millions of numbers at once.

"Our No.1 focus is to be in position to make this work right on Nov. 24," said John Tinter, AT&T Wireless Services Inc.'s vice president of marketing strategy. "That being said, this is a new and complicated process for the industry."

The Federal Communications Commission, which mandated number portability, is asking the industry to complete number transfers in 2 1/2 hours, but hasn't required it to do so.

Some industry officials warn that in some instances it may take a day or more to move numbers. But most transfers should be done in several hours. Consumers' old phones should work during that time and some companies say their new phones will be able to make outgoing calls in that period also.

Some of the delay will be beyond consumers' control. Phone companies have been making linkages between their often-complicated software systems. There are also two industry clearinghouses involved in number transfers and updating phone-call routing records.

Testing of the process in the last few months has brought up a variety of technical glitches that the industry has been working to fix, said Faith Seiders, director of sales operations for Cingular Wireless.

Some companies expected the Nov. 24 deadline would be delayed again and waited till the last minute to get their systems ready for number portability, she said.

"The hardest part about this is maybe only one-third of the process is in our control," Ms. Seiders said. "The more points of connection that you have the more potential failure points you have."

But consumers can minimize delays by following these pointers:

--Don't cancel your old-phone service before receiving confirmation that your number has been transferred to your new provider. You could lose your number altogether if you cancel too soon.

--Bring a recent wireless bill with you to the store. This will assure your new provider is typing in the information exactly as it's listed in your old company's systems.

--Visit stores during less busy times, i.e. during the week and not on weekends.

--Try transferring your number online to avoid the crowds. Three companies say they will process transfers on their Web sites -- AT&T Wireless, Cingular and Nextel Communications Inc.

None of the six big phone companies -- Verizon Wireless, Cingular, AT&T Wireless, Sprint PCS, Nextel and T-Mobile USA -- plan to charge customers one-time fees to transfer their numbers.

But three of them have been charging customers' monthly fees to recover their costs for portability and other regulations: Cingular: 32 cents; Sprint PCS: $1.10; and AT&T Wireless: $1.75. The FCC doesn't bar the fees. The money is not paid to the government.

The FCC has also ruled that phone companies can't keep customers from transferring their numbers because of unpaid bills or contractual obligations. But if you do switch, you will still be responsible for paying any contract breakup fees.

It's also important to note that some consumers in and near North Texas will not be able to take advantage of number portability beginning Nov. 24 because they're not part of the Census Bureau's Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. These cities include Sherman, Waco, Tyler, Kileen, and Temple.

"That's a small area that gets smashed in the middle from media," said Gary Ridding, Verizon Wireless' regional president based in Lewisville. "There are certainly people who live in those communities that go back and forth to Dallas and Austin."

FCC rules say wireless carriers must transfer numbers outside the 100 biggest urban areas by May 24.

Experts said the Nov. 24 number portability deadline comes at a busy time for the industry. The last three months of the year account for about 30 percent of the industry's phone sales.

"It will put significant pressure on their operations and service levels," said Jim Offerdahl, chairman and chief executive of Austin-based Traq-wireless Inc., which advises businesses on cellular service. "For sure, they have done a lot of stuff [to prepare] but I don't know if anybody knows how well it's going to go."

Consumer advocates suggest the best call may be to wait till the post-Thanksgiving holiday traffic has eased and phone companies have worked out the kinks.

"We are suggesting that folks wait for a few weeks after Nov. 24 as the companies sort out how the switching is going to actually be done," said Tim Morstad, a policy analyst with Consumers Union in Austin. "We could potentially have millions of people wanting to switch on day one."

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(c) 2003, The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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