Seeking advice on how to accomplish this...

[johnpane]

I've been waiting for years for Google to let me port my landline to Google Voice and I'm beginning to believe it will never happen. Thus, I am seeking workarounds that would let me accomplish the same effect (or, as close as possible).

OBJECTIVE: Cancel my landline service but keep the number; have Google Voice handle all incoming calls to that number.

My idea is to port my landline number to some service, call it X. X forwards all incoming calls to my google voice number. I don't think I need any other services from X.

Then I integrate Google Voice with my Obi:
• google voice manages incoming calls; those I want to ring at home are directed to the OBi
• outgoing calls on the OBi are routed through Google Voice. I realize that outgoing caller-id will show my Google Voice number and not my landline number. I may be willing to accept this if there isn't a way to solve it.

I am seeking recommendations for the way to accomplish my objective, including the best choice for X if such a service is needed?

Thank you!

John

[Hollywood]

did you read this?

http://www.obihai.com/porttutorial.html

[johnpane]

Thank you for pointing me to that page. That does seem like the best solution, although I am a little worried because some people seem to encounter hiccups in this double-port process. For example, some of the stories at http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=1051.140.

[lhm.]

Hiccups are temporary. Go for it.   

[CoalMinerRetired]

I also say go for it. If you cannot port all the way through to GV, then obvious fallback plan is port to a paid VoIP provided, such as voip.ms, callcentric, etc. 

Your idea of going to a paid provided in place of being able to port to GV also makes sense.

In case you are not aware of this, you can look here (http://www.localcallingguide.com/lca_prefix.php), input area code and NXX code, and if "bandwith.com" appears in the list (under column OCN) in about 99% of the cases GV will do a port in of the number in question.

[johnpane]

Thank you for referring me to the localcallingguide.com site. When I enter my details, the OCN column shows:

0193 CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATIONS OF PENNSYLVANIA CO

Should I take this as evidence that the number cannot be ported to GV?

I tried several other exchanges in southwestern PA, operated by Verizon, and none show "bandwidth.com" under the OCN column. I also tried some Pacific Bell landlines in northern California and got the same result. None of the entries I tried show "bandwidth.com" under the OCN column.

Thanks,
John

[CoalMinerRetired]

If Bandwidth.com is not there, it's likely you won't be able to port a number to from that switch to GV.  Don't know where I read this (maybe the GV product forums), but it's held true in my experience.

[johnpane]

Well, that's disappointing. So if I can't port the number to GV, it brings me back to the original question. What is the best choice for the "X" in my original post?

[danaflo]

If Bandwidth.com is not there, it's likely you won't be able to port a number to from that switch to GV.  Don't know where I read this (maybe the GV product forums), but it's held true in my experience.

 

THIS ADVISE IS ABSOLUTLY FALSE!!!!!!!!!!!

Before I ported my number it was not listed as bandwith.com , it was an old number from southern newengland bell,  I went for the port anyway and everything worked perfect. I succesfully ported from att to tmobile then to GV. This took exactly 24 hours. Now my number is listed as bandwidth.com

NOTHING VENTURED........NOTHING GAINED.......GO FOR IT

[lhm.]

":THIS ADVISE IS ABSOLUTLY FALSE!!!!!!!!!!!"

I concur. Spend that $0.99 cents for a SIM chip and borrow a friends old T=Mobile phone for a day or two..

Be a risk taker.  

[CoalMinerRetired]

I agree, try it if you're willing to spend $0.99 for a SIM card. But your past experience and the current absence of bandwidth.com probably means it will not work.

If Bandwidth.com is not there, it's likely you won't be able to port a number to from that switch to GV.  Don't know where I read this (maybe the GV product forums), but it's held true in my experience.
   
THIS ADVISE IS ABSOLUTLY FALSE!!!!!!!!!!!

You're of course entitled to post whatever you want.

However, go search the Google Voice Product Forums and the DSL VoIP forum for explanations of how BandWidth.com is the third party provider Google uses to 'port numbers' to GV. BandWidth.com (or whatever third party) must have a presence in the central office before a port is started, not afterwards.

[johnpane]

However, go search the Google Voice Product Forums and the DSL VoIP forum for explanations of how BandWidth.com is the third party provider Google uses to 'port numbers' to GV. BandWidth.com (or whatever third party) must have a presence in the central office before a port is started, not afterwards.

I did read some of those posts this afternoon. The main gist of the ones I found are that GV gets its numbers (the ones it issues) via Bandwidth.com and Level 3. There was an oblique reference to this having implications for porting, but I have to admit I had my doubts when I read that part. It seems outside the spirit of LNP for providers to be required to have a physical presence everywhere a number might be coming from. (Of course, one should not discount the potential for absurd regulations.) Moreover, it doesn't seem to make sense for the internals of the phone system to require anything at the original number's location for LNP. Everything about LNP should be able to be accomplished through centralized databases that map numbers to their currently-assigned switches.

I appreciate the responses so far, and hope there is more to learn on my question. One other comment, though is this idea of "just do it". My family depends on being reachable on this landline and I am trying to avoid a situation where the number goes into limbo for any extended time. I'd like to have my ducks in a row (including a viable fallback -- the company X idea -- if porting to GV fails).

[johnpane]

borrow a friends old T=Mobile phone for a day or two

Along those lines, I have a couple of questions about this:

1) Is it an absolute must to insert the SIM card into a phone or could this all be done by entering information online?
2) If the SIM card must be in a working phone, must it be a T-mobile phone (as opposed to, say an AT&T Blackberry I have on-hand)?
3) If it must be a T-mobile phone, will any T-mobile phone suffice or must it be one that was designated for pre-pay plans?

[Hollywood]

You posted all good questions and did a lot of homework. I too want to transfer my number to Google Voice and am watching how this goes for you. You pointed out that you realize the CallerID is number only. I read conflicting stories and am more confused as to if it can be solved for CallerID Name? Also GV doesn't support 911, but you can get a $49 NetTalk to plug into the Line port of the Obi110 to solve that.

I'll be watching too. Great Thread here!

[CoalMinerRetired]

In reply to a few points:
1) Yes, must be in the phone and phone must be working. As part of the porting process GV will make one phone call to the number being ported (i.e., the phone the SIM card is in), which you must answer and must enter a verification code that GV gives you on the screen when you do the port. Total usage is under one minute.  You'll never get past this point unless you answer the call.
2) Don't know.
3) Does not have to be prepaid. You can for example take the working SIM card out of a working T-Mob phone, insert the new SIM associated with the ported landline number, and receive the GV call that way. T-Mob SIM cards come in different sizes (formats) so the SIM card you use must match the size the phone uses.

However, go search the Google Voice Product Forums and the DSL VoIP forum for explanations of how BandWidth.com is the third party provider Google uses to 'port numbers' to GV. BandWidth.com (or whatever third party) must have a presence in the central office before a port is started, not afterwards.

I did read some of those posts this afternoon. The main gist of the ones I found are that GV gets its numbers (the ones it issues) via Bandwidth.com and Level 3. There was an oblique reference to this having implications for porting, but I have to admit I had my doubts when I read that part. It seems outside the spirit of LNP for providers to be required to have a physical presence everywhere a number might be coming from. (Of course, one should not discount the potential for absurd regulations.) Moreover, it doesn't seem to make sense for the internals of the phone system to require anything at the original number's location for LNP. Everything about LNP should be able to be accomplished through centralized databases that map numbers to their currently-assigned switches.

Landlines and central offices and area codes are a highly regulated industry, so what makes sense is not always the driving factor.

Call flow is explained here on the website of this quasi-regulatory body for all LNP in the US: http://www.npac.com/number-portability/how-lnp-works.  I read it to mean all calls to a ported number do in fact flow through the CO switch where the number was 'born.'  

[CoalMinerRetired]

You posted all good questions and did a lot of homework. I too want to transfer my number to Google Voice and am watching how this goes for you. You pointed out that you realize the CallerID is number only. I read conflicting stories and am more confused as to if it can be solved for CallerID Name? Also GV doesn't support 911, but you can get a $49 NetTalk to plug into the Line port of the Obi110 to solve that.

I'll be watching too. Great Thread here!

GV does Caller ID number only, no name (CNAM). I've never heard of NetTalk, but for $49 you're much better off paying the $1.50 per month for a CC (CallCentric) number that gets you CNAM plus 911 or E911 where available (plus gets you the full GV audio call ID/audio call screening if so desired).   See the famous threads on here where all this is discussed and answered:
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=3609.0
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=3640.0

GV porting:
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=1051.0

[johnpane]

Also GV doesn't support 911, but you can get a $49 NetTalk to plug into the Line port of the Obi110 to solve that.

I also see you can get E911 from http://www.gv911.com for $12/year.

[johnpane]

Call flow is explained here on the website of this quasi-regulatory body for all LNP in the US: http://www.npac.com/number-portability/how-lnp-works.  I read it to mean all calls to a ported number do in fact flow through the CO switch where the number was 'born.' 

My interpretation is contrary to yours, based on the text below.

When a call is made to the ported telephone number, the initiating service provider switch launches a query to its LNP call routing database to determine whether the telephone number has been ported. If it has, the database response provides the switch with the LRN needed to properly route the call.

[CoalMinerRetired]

It also says this:

....An LRN is assigned to each ported telephone number and is used to route calls through the PSTN to the switch serving the ported number. The LRN is intended only as the network address of the serving switch, however, and is not intended to convey any rate area information such as would be used determine whether a call is local or long distance. The same ten-digit LRN can be used for every ported number served from the switch to which the LRN's NPA-NXX is assigned.

For a number that started life as a landline in a given NPA-NXX, that CO switch is never going to change, calls to it will always get routed to that CO switch.  That's now I understand it.

[johnpane]

This page provides further evidence I will not be able to port my number to GV:
    http://www.obihai.com/porttutorial.html
According to this, the error message I get from GV ("Ooops! This number appears to be from an area we don't currently support.") indicates I will not be able to port the number. The page says I would get a different error message if I would be able to port to GV after first porting it to a mobile number.


So....back to my original question:

OBJECTIVE: Cancel my landline service but keep the number; have Google Voice handle all incoming calls to that number.

My idea is to port my landline number to some service, call it X. X forwards all incoming calls to my google voice number. I don't think I need any other services from X.

Then I integrate Google Voice with my Obi:
• google voice manages incoming calls; those I want to ring at home are directed to the OBi
• outgoing calls on the OBi are routed through Google Voice. I realize that outgoing caller-id will show my Google Voice number and not my landline number. I may be willing to accept this if there isn't a way to solve it.

I am seeking recommendations for the way to accomplish my objective, including the best choice for X if such a service is needed?

Depending on the cost and features of the solution to this problem, another possibility might be to route outgoing calls through X, which would also get me the correct caller id.