Number porting to GV - my experience
SteveInWA:
Quote from: jd123 on August 05, 2018, 04:56:06 pm
Hello guys I have a few questions.
I am trying to follow the guide at https://www.obitalk.com/info/tutorials/porttutorial but the links for the T-mobile pre-paid sim cards are not working for me. Will this one work? https://www.amazon.com/T-Mobile-Prepaid-Complete-SIM-Kit/dp/B00LPPHHFK
Once I get the sim card and call T-mobile to activate it, do I have to pick between a plan like PayGo, or can I just add x amount of minutes into the card?
Thank you
Yes, that linked SIM pack on Amazon is perfect IF you have either an existing T-Mobile phone, or an unlocked AT&T Wireless or other GSM phone designed for the US market. If you only have a locked AT&T Wireless phone, then buy a prepaid SIM kit for AT&T Prepaid and follow the same procedure. Do NOT buy a SIM from one of the third-party re-sellers like H20, Lycamobile, Straight Talk, etc. Those companies have little to no expertise at porting land line numbers in and out.
Before you begin, enter your land line phone number into the Google Voice porting dashboard, to see if it is eligible. If it only gives you an error about the number being on a land line carrier, then you're good to go. If it also gives you an error that porting is not supported in your area, then you can't port it in, and don't bother trying.
https://www.google.com/voice/porting
Here is what you'll be doing: the point of this exercise is to establish working mobile phone service and port your land line number to that service on a working mobile phone handset. You will buy the SIM, stick it in the phone, then contact T-Mobile to port in your land line number. You must buy the minimum number of prepaid minutes they sell (typically $10), so that you can make and receive telephone calls on that phone.
Wait a full week after porting the land line number into the mobile carrier, before attempting to then port it to Google Voice. Before attempting to port to GV, you must contact T-Mobile and ask them for the account number and PIN you need to submit so that they will approve your port-out request. Don't get impatient and try to port to Google Voice without waiting.
If you encounter any problems while doing the port from the mobile carrier to Google Voice, please post over on the Google Voice help forum. Do not cancel the port unless instructed to do so over on that forum.
jd123:
Quote from: SteveInWA on August 05, 2018, 05:58:11 pm
Quote from: jd123 on August 05, 2018, 04:56:06 pm
Hello guys I have a few questions.
I am trying to follow the guide at https://www.obitalk.com/info/tutorials/porttutorial but the links for the T-mobile pre-paid sim cards are not working for me. Will this one work? https://www.amazon.com/T-Mobile-Prepaid-Complete-SIM-Kit/dp/B00LPPHHFK
Once I get the sim card and call T-mobile to activate it, do I have to pick between a plan like PayGo, or can I just add x amount of minutes into the card?
Thank you
Yes, that linked SIM pack on Amazon is perfect IF you have either an existing T-Mobile phone, or an unlocked AT&T Wireless or other GSM phone designed for the US market. If you only have a locked AT&T Wireless phone, then buy a prepaid SIM kit for AT&T Prepaid and follow the same procedure. Do NOT buy a SIM from one of the third-party re-sellers like H20, Lycamobile, Straight Talk, etc. Those companies have little to no expertise at porting land line numbers in and out.
Before you begin, enter your land line phone number into the Google Voice porting dashboard, to see if it is eligible. If it only gives you an error about the number being on a land line carrier, then you're good to go. If it also gives you an error that porting is not supported in your area, then you can't port it in, and don't bother trying.
https://www.google.com/voice/porting
Here is what you'll be doing: the point of this exercise is to establish working mobile phone service and port your land line number to that service on a working mobile phone handset. You will buy the SIM, stick it in the phone, then contact T-Mobile to port in your land line number. You must buy the minimum number of prepaid minutes they sell (typically $10), so that you can make and receive telephone calls on that phone.
Wait a full week after porting the land line number into the mobile carrier, before attempting to then port it to Google Voice. Before attempting to port to GV, you must contact T-Mobile and ask them for the account number and PIN you need to submit so that they will approve your port-out request. Don't get impatient and try to port to Google Voice without waiting.
If you encounter any problems while doing the port from the mobile carrier to Google Voice, please post over on the Google Voice help forum. Do not cancel the port unless instructed to do so over on that forum.
Thank you for the quick and informative reply.
Yes, I did check if google voice supports my area with that site and it does. :D
I was going to use the SIM for a spare Verizon iPhone 5 that I had lying around thinking it was unlocked. I put in the IMEI on https://prepaid.t-mobile.com/prepaid/bring-your-own-device however and it says it is not compatible with T-mobile's network although it does say "Success! You can use your device on our network" below the textarea with a green checkmark. Confusing. I'm going to assume it is locked.
I do have my iPhone 6s that I currently use that is compatible according to that site. Can I swap the SIM card for certain time periods or do I need it in the phone constantly during the whole procedure? I wouldn't mind popping it in whenever I need to talk to the carriers or check if phonecalls/texts work then take it out again. Otherwise I guess I should buy a prepaid T-mobile/ATT phone?
SteveInWA:
Remember, you are simply moving a telephone number from one carrier to another. The carrier associates the SIM ICCID with your number. It doesn't matter at all what sort of phone you use with that SIM, as long as it's compatible enough to make a couple of ordinary phone calls.
As for the older previously-Verizon phone, VZW and T-Mobile don't share LTE bands, and so the phones weren't built to support all of them. The OEMs are getting better now at reducing the chaos and simply supporting most bands on every phone.
GPz1100:
^^Not true. It really depends on the phone and bands it supports.
Example, verizon galaxy s4 - sch-i545 fully supports 2g/3g on tmobile (edge/hspa data), LTE is also supported in areas where band 4 (1700/2100) is deployed.
For att, there's full 3g support, and again, band 4 LTE in areas where it's available.
So while this phone from 2013 won't have service in all areas served by these providers, it should have service in major cities.
All verizon LTE phones (other than prepaid) come unlocked for gsm use. Newer models support more bands. I believe the s8 or the s9 (verizon variant) fully supports all att/tmo bands.
In fact, as of right now, older verizon lte phones with HD voice capability cannot be activated on verizon itself, but can on MVNO's. After 2019 when vzw shuts down 1x/3g entirely, these older phones will still be usable on att/tmo.
Just like the obi100, even though the manufacturer/provider has abandoned support, the device is still usable to an extent.
linksfiend:
Is there a recommended cheap plan on T-Mobile? Do you need to setup an account if you have a prepaid sim?
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