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Canadian Wireless Number Portability Coming Soon

Canadian Number Portability is fast approaching. What exactly does it mean and include? For one, cellular customers who want to take advantage of better service/prices from other wireless carriers can switch while keeping their cell phone number. The major three cellular providers, Rogers Wireless, Telus Mobility, Bell Mobility, have until March 14, 2007 to implement the CNP policies. This date was mandated by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), who also suggested that CNP would be released to a limited number of provinces to start (Alberta, Ontario, BC, Quebec.) There is ... read more

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Canadian Number Portability is fast approaching. What exactly does it 
 
mean and include? For one, cellular customers who want to take 
 
advantage of better service/prices from other wireless carriers can 
 
switch while keeping their cell phone number. The major three cellular 
 
providers, Rogers Wireless, Telus Mobility, Bell Mobility, have until 
 
March 14, 2007 to implement the CNP policies. This date was 
 
mandated by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association 
 
(CWTA), who also suggested that CNP would be released to a 
 
limited number of provinces to start (Alberta, Ontario, BC, Quebec.) 
 
There is no word whether wireless carriers will go ahead and bypass 
 
the minimum mandate and enable the entire country to take advantage 
 
of this service.

How does it work? Customers should be able to switch to any service 
 
provider in your province (wireline or wireless) and keep your phone 
 
number. Hopefully all wireless carriers will enable portability, however, 
 
moving from an obscure provider from the East coast to an unknown 
 
provider in the West, may prove challenging. In the US customers 
 
faced challenges moving great distances, however, the US has many 
 
more providers than Canada. Throughout Canada, all wireless carriers 
 
will be required to release a phone number to another carrier (port-out 
 
customers) and by no later than September 12, 2007, to accept a 
 
phone number from another carrier (port-in customers). There is no 
 
word on how this will affect prepaid plans/phones.

So is this good or bad news for the consumer? One can only hope that 
 
the absent price wars between the major companies will heat up. With 
 
the threat of losing customers to better service/costs on another 
 
carrier, we could see new deals for existing and new customers that 
 
we haven't seen in Canada for a while.

In reality there are three fundamental reasons why consumers will 
 
decide to change carriers: a) Better phones elsewhere, b)better service 
 
elsewhere, and c) better prices elsewhere. In the States consumers 
 
flocked not to necessarily better phones or plans, but better service. 
 
Verizon Wireless reaped the benefits of wireless number portability by 
 
a wide margin. We'll have to see how Canadian carrier respond.

In the meantime, let's analyse some of the pros and cons to wireless 
 
number portability.

Cons: All portability moves must be done in sequence. That means to 
 
plan to port your number while STILL connected with your existing 
 
carrier. Cancel one service contract for another without going through 
 
the porting process and you'll loose your number.

Portability is no good if you have time left on your existing contract. 
 
You still need to honour your wireless contract for x many more 
 
months. If you choose to terminate you will face penalties as per usual.

Chances are carriers will introduce a portability charge. That means 
 
even if you don't port your number you'll pay a new service charge. 
 
(They have to gouge you somewhere right?!) This also means the 
 
'activation' fee you paid will likely exist on the new carrier. If you get 
 
away from 'activation' fees be prepared for the 'portability' fee when 
 
you actually make the transaction. Hopefully consumers won't get 
 
both.

Expect delays and glitches at the start up, it's bound to happen. Also, 
 
don't expect your past bills from your old carrier to go away once you 
 
switch.

Pros: Taking advantage of the new pricing and plan options from 
 
carriers looking to capture competing customers. That means lower 
 
prices for you, new contracts only though¡. You finally have the 
 
option of getting rid of the crappy service and show that corporate 
 
giant who's boss by voting with your feet.

Existing customers will be given incentives to stay with their carriers, 
 
more minutes, features, etc. Switching carriers usually means a new 
 
phone (if you're a new customer). If you move to GSM providers 
 
you'll have two! Porting usually takes a few hours so wait time is 
 
minimal.

And finally, once you have your number working on another carrier 
 
don't be surprised if you get the same crappy service as before. You 
 
can never win it seems at this wireless game. But then again, you may 
 
find that the grass is a little greener on the other side. The Pros will 
 
hopefully outweigh the Cons, hopefully consumers will see better 
 
prices and phone deals in the future.

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