Don't lose that number Phone number portability begins Monday, but not in Green Bay until May By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle Yes, you'll be able to change your cellular telephone service, or even change your home landline phone to cellular while keeping the same telephone number, the one you've taught your youngsters or that may be on your business card. Just not on Monday. That's the day the Federal Communications Commission ordered cell phone companies to allow people to switch providers while keeping the same 10 digits they're used to. But that's only for the top 100 metro areas in the United States. Milwaukee's included; Green Bay isn't. "The rest of the country for number portability will begin five months later, on May 24," said Jay Ellison, vice president of operations for U.S. Cellular. "It won't be a gradual rollout; on May 24, we'll be capable to do this in the rest of the U.S." That's probably a good thing for Green Bay cell users. By the time May rolls around, whatever bugs took place in the first round of switching should be worked out. "The impact on this area is probably just a blip," said Larry Lueck, governmental affairs relations manager for Cellcom. "What it will really do is show customers and carriers some of the potential hiccups, the technical glitches that might happen. It gives us a good test run." Dubbed "porting" for short, local number portability allows customers to more easily switch wireless carriers or move from a land-based phone to cellular service with less disruption. It's led to increased competition between providers; more and more features and lower rates have resulted from the battle for new or changing customers. But nobody's really sure how many people will take advantage. "I have seen projections of up to 10 million customers switching on the first day, and other projections around 10,000," Lueck said. "One of the things people need to remember is that most customers are under contract with a carrier, and not every contract will expire on the 24th." And while testing has gone well, Lueck said, things may change when the system is tested for real. "Anything you test something in a test environment, you think you might have the glitches worked out and when you go live, the unexpected happens," he said. "But I don't expect any major problems. You're not going to see the network going down. It may take a little longer than the customer would like, and there may be some routing issues, but nothing we anticipate as being too serious." Ellison said the new rules will "change the landscape" of the wireless market. "Companies that have focused on customer satisfaction can be the real winners," he said. "This will start to set the stakes higher for wireless companies." It's also forced the companies to make some major expenditures. Verizon Wireless opened a new customer service center in Tennessee with nearly 1,000 employees, and Ellison said U.S. Cellular has added nearly that many itself. "We've spent over $50 million putting (infrastructure) in place and getting it thoroughly tested," he said. "The industry has spent billions in preparing for this mandate." Cellcom's Lueck said most of the calls he's received so far have been raised from national coverage of the issue. "They're more inquisitive than 'hey, I want to do something.' It hasn't affected call volumes yet," he said. Company salespeople have been trained on how to handle the changes. "We're going to try to complete the porting process in 1 1/2 hours, the recommended time frame by the FCC," Ellison said. "You'll be required by U.S. Cellular to buy a new phone. Not all technologies are the same and somebody coming from another company might have phones that wouldn't be compatible." And by the time the issue becomes active in Green Bay, the past experience may make local switches easier. "Consumers will understand what to expect; they'll hear stories between Nov. 24 and May 24," Lueck said. "Their expectations may change a bit." What consumers need to know about wireless number portability: All portability is local. "Local" portability means that you can only take your number to a new carrier that serves the same location as your current carrier. In other words, you can't port your number from one metro area to new carrier in another city hundreds of miles away. Prevent a false start. Don't start by canceling service with your current provider - or you might lose your number. Start with the carrier you want to switch to. Your new carrier will then contact your current provider to transfer your phone number. Know your current contract. Review the terms of your current contract. You may be subject to an early termination fee if you cancel your existing service before a certain amount of time. Check eligibility. Contact your new provider to see if your number is eligible. Keep a paper trail. Your new carrier will need to know specific information about your existing account. So for convenience, bring your current contract and most recent monthly bill when you go to transfer your phone number. If you don't have a copy of your bill, be sure to bring the exact details of your account, such as your name as it appears on the bill, your billing address, account number and current phone number. If any of that information is misspelled or written incorrectly on your application, your number transfer could be delayed significantly. Have an alternate route. Make sure there's another contact number for emergencies in case the process takes longer than anticipated. Have patience. Millions of customers are expected to port their phone numbers in the first few days it becomes available. So, there may be long lines at some stores and porting during the first few weeks may take a few hours, or even days. Sources: www.easyporting.com, Verizon wireless