FYI: Wireless Number Portability in Canada
Just in case you weren't aware:
According to the CRTC, wireless service providers in Canada (Rogers, Bell, Telus, Fido) are mandated to allow subscribers to switch providers while keeping their current cellphone number by March 14, 2007!
Apparently, you can also switch between a land line and wireless connections (and vice versa) while keeping the same number. This should be good news for consumers as you won't be shackled to company providing poor service/value just because you don't want to go through the hassle of changing your number (especially if you have a coveted area code). So if you're planning on switching subscribers in the near future, it might be beneficial to wait till March 14, 2007 to switch so you can carry over your number and also to see if the wireless telcos have any better deals to entice customers to switch.
I don't know about you, but it seems there's a lot ads from some wireless providers pushing new promotions right now to try and lock you into a contract (you'll have to pay the fee of breaking the contract to switch), however there doesn't seem to be any mention of this potentially valuable feature. I'm guessing the wireless telcos are uncertain on how many people will switch to and from them, so they are playing it coy (info about this development does take a bit of searching to find on their sites). Hopefully you'll here more about it in the news...
One more thing to note, March 14, 2007 is the date wireless number portability (WNP) will be enabled in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Québec. The other provinces have to wait till September 12, 2007 to experience this "freedom".
Anyway, if you wanted more info, check out the site below (it's run by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association).
http://www.wirelessnumberportability.ca/english/index.html
According to the CRTC, wireless service providers in Canada (Rogers, Bell, Telus, Fido) are mandated to allow subscribers to switch providers while keeping their current cellphone number by March 14, 2007!
Apparently, you can also switch between a land line and wireless connections (and vice versa) while keeping the same number. This should be good news for consumers as you won't be shackled to company providing poor service/value just because you don't want to go through the hassle of changing your number (especially if you have a coveted area code). So if you're planning on switching subscribers in the near future, it might be beneficial to wait till March 14, 2007 to switch so you can carry over your number and also to see if the wireless telcos have any better deals to entice customers to switch.
I don't know about you, but it seems there's a lot ads from some wireless providers pushing new promotions right now to try and lock you into a contract (you'll have to pay the fee of breaking the contract to switch), however there doesn't seem to be any mention of this potentially valuable feature. I'm guessing the wireless telcos are uncertain on how many people will switch to and from them, so they are playing it coy (info about this development does take a bit of searching to find on their sites). Hopefully you'll here more about it in the news...
One more thing to note, March 14, 2007 is the date wireless number portability (WNP) will be enabled in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Québec. The other provinces have to wait till September 12, 2007 to experience this "freedom".
Anyway, if you wanted more info, check out the site below (it's run by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association).
http://www.wirelessnumberportability.ca/english/index.html
Comments