Seeking advice on how to accomplish this...
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.
Quote from: danaflo on January 14, 2013, 06:15:35 pm
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:
Quote
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:
Quote
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.
Quote from: johnpane on January 14, 2013, 07:43:33 pm
Quote
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.'
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