Is it safe to port primary landline to Google Voice?

[jadog]

I see that a lot of folks have successfully ported their landline to GV (based on this thread http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=1051.0). Being able to use the callcentric trick to forward to my OBI device will also allow me to see the CNAM (caller ID) that GV was lacking. So this is everything that I have with my current landline, so it made sense that I change to google and have it all for free (well, mostly unless you consider the $1.50/mo E911 fee from a third party).

What I'm curious to know is if anybody believes there is a long term future with Google Voice. Their free google voice functionality nearly disappeared a few years ago. My main fear is that I could loose the landline phone number that I've had for the past 20 years. Does anybody have any thoughts or opinions on this?

Additionally, I understand that to port a landline requires it first go to a mobile carrier (TMobile, AT&T, etc). Has anybody lost their number doing this? Is one mobile carrier preferred to port to first before going to GV?

[SteveInWA]

Hi:

This has been covered thoroughly, both here on the forum, and on the Google Voice forum, for years.

Google continues to actively support Google Voice and is making continued enhancements to the service.  The infrastructure that runs Google Voice has been substantially upgraded in the past few years, and it is also used for Hangouts and for Google's other telephony services, Project Fi and Google Fiber Phone.  It's not going away.

Regarding porting, you can first enter your land line number into Google's porting dashboard, to see if Google's carrier can accept the number for porting.  You will get an error message that Google doesn't support your carrier.  That's to be expected.  But, if you also get an error message that porting isn't supported in your area, then the number isn't portable, regardless of it being a land line or mobile number.  Here is the link:

https://www.google.com/voice/porting

The number one and number two reasons that ports fail are because people input incorrect account information into Google's porting form, or don't wait long enough after the land line --> mobile port before attempting to port into GV.  Be patient, and give the first port a few days to become fully operational and for the change to be broadcast out to the telephone carriers.  I suggest using either T-Mobile prepaid or AT&T GoPhone as the intermediate carrier.  Do NOT use one of the cheapo MVNOs like Lycamobile or H20.  They are incompetent at porting and will likely screw up the port.  You will not lose your number.

If you have questions or issues about your port, please post over on the Google Voice Help Forum, where we'll be happy to assist you.

[LTN1]

Regarding porting, you can first enter your land line number into Google's porting dashboard, to see if Google's carrier can accept the number for porting.  You will get an error message that Google doesn't support your carrier.  That's to be expected.  But, if you also get an error message that porting isn't supported in your area, then the number isn't portable, regardless of it being a land line or mobile number.  Here is the link:

Hi Steve...for phone numbers in areas that Google doesn't support porting, are there reasons behind that? Is it a temporary issue until Google expands porting areas or is likely to be permanent due to the area?

I live in one of those areas that seem to get the "...from an area that we currently don't support." It's been over 8 years since I've seen that message of "currently." Is there anything one can do to request Google to consider porting a currently unportable area?

[SteveInWA]

The carrier Google uses to host ported numbers, bandwidth.com, doesn't have a presence in every rate center (local telephone exchange) across the country.  It can't host those numbers.  Since it's an independent, third-party company with many other customers, Google has no way to predict if or when bandwidth might increase its footprint.

[LTN1]

Thanks Steve. I just e-mailed bandwidth.com and asked if they could consider my area in the future. I'm literally between Sacramento, CA to the south and Auburn, CA to the north--about 10 miles in either direction and the numbers in both areas are portable into GV while none in my local telephone exchange seem to be portable. It is portable into PhonePower and CallCentric but unfortunately, not to GV at this time. Hopefully that could change in the near future.

[SteveInWA]

PhonePower and Callcentric have the flexibility of a small business to manually deal with multiple CLECs to find one to host your number, whereas Google's number porting arrangement with bandwidth is almost entirely automated.  GV ports in thousands of numbers per month, and it just isn't feasible for them to staff up to handle exceptions.

At one time, GV also used another carrier for number ports, but they terminated that contract.

[Taoman]

Thanks Steve. I just e-mailed bandwidth.com and asked if they could consider my area in the future. Hopefully that could change in the near future.

Certainly doesn't hurt to try but I think your chances are slim. I also live in an area that isn't covered by GV for portability but I live in a somewhat rural area. But even a city of over 80k way to the north of me (Bellingham, WA) that straddles I-5 isn't portable to GV/bandwidth.

I ended up porting numbers I needed to keep (old landline & cell #) to VoIP.ms and using a GV generated vanity number I obtained years ago as my primary incoming line.

[jadog]

The biggest disappointment about using google voice as my primary number is that gv doesn't have the ability to use OUTGOING CNAME. So at best, callers will only see my primary google voice phone number, at worst, it will show "UNKNOWN". This is kind of a deal breaker for me, so I'm looking to voip.ms or another provider that has this capability.