I wanted to set up a Google Voice number to be able to direct calls to
either of my "real" phones but there are no numbers available in the
area codes I am interested in. The other option is to select my existing
mobile number to be the Google Voice number. However, I don't find any
explanation how that would work. It would seem to defeat the purpose of
GV in the first place. Anybody here could help me with this?
>I wanted to set up a Google Voice number to be able to direct calls to
>either of my "real" phones but there are no numbers available in the
>area codes I am interested in. The other option is to select my existing
>mobile number to be the Google Voice number. However, I don't find any
>explanation how that would work. It would seem to defeat the purpose of
>GV in the first place. Anybody here could help me with this?
For a small fee, GV allows you to port a mobile number into GV. What
some in your situation have done is purchase a cheap pre-pay phone
plan or SIM card for its mobile number, then immediately port it to GV
before closing the new mobile account.
On 11/18/2011 11:07 AM, M.L. wrote:
>
> For a small fee, GV allows you to port a mobile number into GV. What
> some in your situation have done is purchase a cheap pre-pay phone
> plan or SIM card for its mobile number, then immediately port it to GV
> before closing the new mobile account.
So does this mean that when a Google Voice client candidate picks
his/her own mobile number as the GV numer, Google contacts T-Mobile to
cancel that account and assign that number to Google?
>> For a small fee, GV allows you to port a mobile number into GV. What
>> some in your situation have done is purchase a cheap pre-pay phone
>> plan or SIM card for its mobile number, then immediately port it to GV
>> before closing the new mobile account.
>
>So does this mean that when a Google Voice client candidate picks
>his/her own mobile number as the GV numer, Google contacts T-Mobile to
>cancel that account and assign that number to Google?
Yes, but I think you need to be assigned a GV number first. The
porting specifics should be on the GV website.
On 11/18/2011 3:56 PM, M.L. wrote:
>
>> So does this mean that when a Google Voice client candidate picks
>> his/her own mobile number as the GV numer, Google contacts T-Mobile to
>> cancel that account and assign that number to Google?
>
> Yes, but I think you need to be assigned a GV number first. The
> porting specifics should be on the GV website.
Too bad because I was thinking getting a new Tmo phone deal with a new
mobile number and then pick the old number as my GV number that
could then forward the calls to the new number.
On Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:00:08 -0800, Cameo <cameo@invalid.invalid>
wrote:
>>> So does this mean that when a Google Voice client candidate picks
>>> his/her own mobile number as the GV numer, Google contacts T-Mobile to
>>> cancel that account and assign that number to Google?
>>
>> Yes, but I think you need to be assigned a GV number first. The
>> porting specifics should be on the GV website.
>
>Too bad because I was thinking getting a new Tmo phone deal with a new
>mobile number and then pick the old number as my GV number that
>could then forward the calls to the new number.
Nothing is stopping you from doing that once you replace your initial
GV number with your current T-Mo number via porting.
1.) Get a new GV number
2.) Get a new T-Mo number but do not activate it
3.) Port your current T-Mo number to GV number
4.) Activate your new T-Mo number account
5.) Forward T-Mo/GV number to new T-Mo number
You don't even need to get a new phone, just a new SIM card with its
own telephone number, which T-Mo sells separately.
On 11/19/2011 4:54 AM, M.L. wrote:
>
> Nothing is stopping you from doing that once you replace your initial
> GV number with your current T-Mo number via porting.
>
> 1.) Get a new GV number
> 2.) Get a new T-Mo number but do not activate it
> 3.) Port your current T-Mo number to GV number
> 4.) Activate your new T-Mo number account
> 5.) Forward T-Mo/GV number to new T-Mo number
Thanks, but I'm not sure what the separate activation does because I
always got my phones activated. Is the phone number assigned at activation?
> You don't even need to get a new phone, just a new SIM card with its
> own telephone number, which T-Mo sells separately.
Well, what I'd really like is getting the Walmart $30 Monthly 4G
plan with 100 minutes of voice and unlimited text and data. For that,
however, I would have to be a new T-Mo customer. So, I guess, I would
have to get a new phone number and get my own unsubsidized 4G phone.
Unfortunately Walmart does not sell the HTC Amaze 4G that I wouldn't
mind buying outright. The question is whether T-Mo still would allow
that Walmart deal for me once they find out that I am really an existing
customer who just tries to screw them. They could easily find that out
from the name and address match.
> 1.) Get a new GV number
> 2.) Get a new T-Mo number but do not activate it
> 3.) Port your current T-Mo number to GV number
> 4.) Activate your new T-Mo number account
> 5.) Forward T-Mo/GV number to new T-Mo number
I forgot to ask an important one:
After all this what happens if I try to make a call with my current
(old) phone?
> On 11/19/2011 4:54 AM, M.L. wrote:
>>
>
>> 1.) Get a new GV number
>> 2.) Get a new T-Mo number but do not activate it
>> 3.) Port your current T-Mo number to GV number
>> 4.) Activate your new T-Mo number account
>> 5.) Forward T-Mo/GV number to new T-Mo number
>
> I forgot to ask an important one:
> After all this what happens if I try to make a call with my current
> (old) phone?
What happens will depend on what SIM card (if any) is in it.
Deactivated SIM? Nothing. (Like no SIM).
Newly activated SIM? you'll call, as with any active SIM.
HTH. Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
>> Nothing is stopping you from doing that once you replace your initial
>> GV number with your current T-Mo number via porting.
>>
>> 1.) Get a new GV number
>> 2.) Get a new T-Mo number but do not activate it
>> 3.) Port your current T-Mo number to GV number
>> 4.) Activate your new T-Mo number account
>> 5.) Forward T-Mo/GV number to new T-Mo number
>
> Thanks, but I'm not sure what the separate activation does because I
>always got my phones activated. Is the phone number assigned at activation?
>
>> You don't even need to get a new phone, just a new SIM card with its
>> own telephone number, which T-Mo sells separately.
>
> Well, what I'd really like is getting the Walmart $30 Monthly 4G
>plan with 100 minutes of voice and unlimited text and data. For that,
>however, I would have to be a new T-Mo customer. So, I guess, I would
>have to get a new phone number and get my own unsubsidized 4G phone.
>Unfortunately Walmart does not sell the HTC Amaze 4G that I wouldn't
>mind buying outright. The question is whether T-Mo still would allow
>that Walmart deal for me once they find out that I am really an existing
>customer who just tries to screw them. They could easily find that out
>from the name and address match.
Once you port your Tmo phone to GV you will no longer be a Tmo
customer.
Normally you get a telephone number with the purchase of your phone,
not the activation. Check with Walmart to make sure.
Virgin Mobile and Boost mobile have better talk/unlimited text and
data plans than the Walmart one described above. However, they don't
offer GSM/SIM phones.
In message <6p1jc7lqja9tnj1a7ipu905m91eca6s2me@4ax.com> someone claiming
to be M.L. <me@privacy.invalid> typed:
>Normally you get a telephone number with the purchase of your phone,
>not the activation.
huh? No. There's no phone number associated with your phone itself, but
rather, it's associated with the SIM and assigned as part of the
activation process.
--
It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to
steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
>>Normally you get a telephone number with the purchase of your phone,
>>not the activation.
>
>huh? No. There's no phone number associated with your phone itself, but
>rather, it's associated with the SIM and assigned as part of the
>activation process.
I stand corrected. You get a phone number with the purchase of a SIM
card, but the number is assigned before activation. New non-GSM phones
also come with a number assigned before activation.
On 11/21/2011 11:05 PM, M.L. wrote:
>
>
>>> Normally you get a telephone number with the purchase of your phone,
>>> not the activation.
>>
>> huh? No. There's no phone number associated with your phone itself, but
>> rather, it's associated with the SIM and assigned as part of the
>> activation process.
>
> I stand corrected. You get a phone number with the purchase of a SIM
> card, but the number is assigned before activation. New non-GSM phones
> also come with a number assigned before activation.
OK, let's just stay with GSM phones here. So let me understand this: if
the phone number comes with the SIM card then the whole assignment at
activation means something similar to a cable modem being assigned to a
subscriber when its MAC address is registered at the cable company. Is
this analogy about right (with the SIM IMEI # acting as a kind of MAC
address?) How about changing the phone number of the SIM card at
activation time or later? Is it possible or is that phone number
"burned" into the SIM card?
In message <oehmc7ps6epjv8pup1dchkjf0i18o5toud@4ax.com> someone claiming
to be M.L. <me@privacy.invalid> typed:
>I stand corrected. You get a phone number with the purchase of a SIM
>card, but the number is assigned before activation.
This will depend on your carrier, but typically the number is assigned
as part of the activation process since the carrier doesn't know whether
you want a new number, an existing number or a ported number, nor do
they know the area code to assign in advance.
I've seen prepaid packages that had numbers assigned (preprinted in the
box) in advance at some point in the past, but it's been a long time
since such animals were around, at least in the parts of the world that
I frequent.
>New non-GSM phones
>also come with a number assigned before activation.
In this area GSM vs not doesn't really matter, just think of a non-GSM
phone as having a SIM permanently installed. No, that's not technically
accurate, but from a number assignment and allocation point of view,
it's close enough.
--
It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to
steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
"M.L." <me@privacy.invalid> wrote:
> Nothing is stopping you from doing that once you replace your initial
> GV number with your current T-Mo number via porting.
>
> 1.) Get a new GV number
> 2.) Get a new T-Mo number but do not activate it
> 3.) Port your current T-Mo number to GV number
> 4.) Activate your new T-Mo number account
> 5.) Forward T-Mo/GV number to new T-Mo number
>
> You don't even need to get a new phone, just a new SIM card with its
> own telephone number, which T-Mo sells separately.
This just occurred to me:
How long would I have to be without phone service between steps 3 and 4?
On Thu, 24 Nov 2011 11:24:33 -0800, "Cameo" <cameo@invalid.invalid>
wrote:
>"M.L." <me@privacy.invalid> wrote:
>> Nothing is stopping you from doing that once you replace your initial
>> GV number with your current T-Mo number via porting.
>>
>> 1.) Get a new GV number
>> 2.) Get a new T-Mo number but do not activate it
>> 3.) Port your current T-Mo number to GV number
>> 4.) Activate your new T-Mo number account
>> 5.) Forward T-Mo/GV number to new T-Mo number
>>
>> You don't even need to get a new phone, just a new SIM card with its
>> own telephone number, which T-Mo sells separately.
>
>This just occurred to me:
>
>How long would I have to be without phone service between steps 3 and 4?
<quote>
You should not cancel your mobile service plan before porting is
initiated. You will need your phone to be able to accept calls in
order to complete the porting verification process.
</quote>
Doesn't appear that your old phone number will be offline for long.
"M.L." <me@privacy.invalid> wrote:
>>This just occurred to me:
>>
>>How long would I have to be without phone service between steps 3 and
>>4?
>
> http://www.google.com/support/voice/...answer=1065667
>
> You should not cancel your mobile service plan before porting is
> initiated. You will need your phone to be able to accept calls in
> order to complete the porting verification process.
Well, I still have a landline, too. I hope they don't want to call back
with a text msg.
> Doesn't appear that your old phone number will be offline for long.
I am most concerned about having a phone while driving. Just in case of
emergency.
By the way, how does GV know which of my phones can accept text messages
and which cannot?
"M.L." <me@privacy.invalid> wrote in message
newspltc7hgvaidf3pn54m539u91ie2k1h1pg@4ax.com...
> You should not cancel your mobile service plan before porting is
> initiated. You will need your phone to be able to accept calls in
> order to complete the porting verification process.
>
> Doesn't appear that your old phone number will be offline for long.
>
Well, I finally did buy a white HTC Amaze 4G in a T-Mo store on Black
Friday without contract. To my surprise it was cheaper there than on
Amazon. I was also pleasantly surprised that I was able to get the same
monthly 4G deal I only saw at Walmart for new activations: 100 minutes
of calls, unlimited text and data -- 5 GB really for only $30!) They
also activated it for me with my old phone number and in about 6 hours.
So that means I don't really have an urgency to get a GV.
I wonder if they only did it because it was the Black Friday. Whatever
the reason, I am happy with the phone and the monthly charges. Now if I
could just find the time to figure out how to use all the great features
of this phone. I also wonder why they would not unlock the phone when it
is not under contract. From what I found out, this phone, when unlocked,
can also use the AT&T UMTS bands.
> Well, I finally did buy a white HTC Amaze 4G in a T-Mo store on Black
> Friday without contract. ...
Good deal :-) .
> ... wonder why they would not unlock the phone when it
> is not under contract. ...
I suspect they'll be willing to unlock it for you once you've been a
T-Mo customer (with that handset) for at least three months -- that's
been their line, anyway, as regards SIM-unlocking their handsets for
contract customers, in my limited experience.
HTH. Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
"tlvp" <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp@att.net> wrote in message
news:13xe68gjzf19i$.1mps2b03e738g$.dlg@40tude.net. ..
>> Well, I finally did buy a white HTC Amaze 4G in a T-Mo store on Black
>> Friday without contract. ...
>
> Good deal :-) .
Yes, that's what I thought till this morning until I logged into my
online T-Mo account to verify the changed plan. To my utmost irritation
I found myself in the wrong $30 Monthly4G plan, with 1500 minutes of
talk or messages, but only 30 MB of data. This was despite I had
specifically insisted that I wanted the *other* $30 plan (the Walmart
Plan.) Naturally I called them right away and after some song & dance
from them about how I was not really qualified for that one, they
eventually gave it to me after explaining to them that the original rep
knew that, too, but made an exception in my case because I was going to
walk otherwise. The problem is that you never get to speak with the same
reps on successive calls and I think in my case some supervisor decided
that the original rep overstepped her authority and he/she then
unilaterally changed my acct to the other plan without notifying me
about it.
Well, you have to watch these guys like an eagle because they will try
to screw you if you don't keep an eye on them. I am really looking
forward for that first bill with this plan!
>> ... wonder why they would not unlock the phone when it
>> is not under contract. ...
>
> I suspect they'll be willing to unlock it for you once you've been a
> T-Mo customer (with that handset) for at least three months -- that's
> been their line, anyway, as regards SIM-unlocking their handsets for
> contract customers, in my limited experience.
In message <jamtd7$6sb$1@dont-email.me> someone claiming to be "Cameo"
<cameo@invalid.invalid> typed:
>By the way, how does GV know which of my phones can accept text messages
>and which cannot?
It's part of the SMS network. Text messages need to be routed between
carriers all the time and carriers need to be able to look up which
carrier is responsible for a particular number.
If no carrier reports as being responsible, Google knows that texts
can't be sent to that particular number, and carriers know to fall back
on text-to-voice (when supported)
--
It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to
steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
"DevilsPGD" <Still-Just-A-Rat-In-A-Cage@crazyhat.net> wrote in message
news0n2d71fhefkmfdnc97a68s8924cjnpmce@4ax.com...
> It's part of the SMS network. Text messages need to be routed between
> carriers all the time and carriers need to be able to look up which
> carrier is responsible for a particular number.
>
> If no carrier reports as being responsible, Google knows that texts
> can't be sent to that particular number, and carriers know to fall
> back
> on text-to-voice (when supported)
Interesting ... Thanks.
> --
> It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to
> steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
> ... have to watch these guys like an eagle because they will try
> to screw you if you don't keep an eye on them. I am really looking
> forward for that first bill with this plan! ...
Watch out for their automatic $1.99/mo. data access rights charge.
They seem to be adding that willy-nilly to *every* line, whether it's
justified or not, ready to deduct it again if pressed on the matter,
but to shout Hallelujah! for the profits therefrom if not.
(This month's bill, arrived just yesterday, is the second one on which
they've added that surcharge, one for each line, and my protest call
marks the second time that they've promised to credit those $1.99s back,
and to block any similar charges in future. We shall see ... .)
Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
"tlvp" <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp@att.net> wrote in message
news:11w11jxlvn34k.1ly581c3g09nc.dlg@40tude.net...
> Watch out for their automatic $1.99/mo. data access rights charge.
> They seem to be adding that willy-nilly to *every* line, whether it's
> justified or not, ready to deduct it again if pressed on the matter,
> but to shout Hallelujah! for the profits therefrom if not.
I've read somewhere that finally even some DC politicians took notice of
those extra phone charges and promised to do something about them. We
shall see ...
On Sun, 27 Nov 2011 21:35:40 -0800, Cameo wrote:
> "tlvp" <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp@att.net> wrote:
>> Watch out for their automatic $1.99/mo. data access rights charge.
>> They seem to be adding that willy-nilly to *every* line, whether it's
>> justified or not, ready to deduct it again if pressed on the matter,
>> but to shout Hallelujah! for the profits therefrom if not.
>
> I've read somewhere that finally even some DC politicians took notice of
> those extra phone charges and promised to do something about them. We
> shall see ...
Ahh... Our UnRepresentatives.
Congress: the 'institution with a lower poularity
rating than the American Nazi Party.
> On Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:39:33 -0800, Cameo wrote:
>
>> ... have to watch these guys like an eagle because they will try
>> to screw you if you don't keep an eye on them. ...
>
> ... their automatic $1.99/mo. data access rights charge.
> They seem to be adding that willy-nilly to *every* line, whether it's
> justified or not, ready to deduct it again if pressed on the matter,
> but to shout Hallelujah! for the profits therefrom if not.
>
> (This month's bill ... and my protest call
> marks the second time that they've promised to credit those $1.99s back,
> and to block any similar charges in future. We shall see ... .)
Follow-up: yup, the two $1.99 monthly data access rights charges have been
reversed now ... for this month, anyway. Next month? "We shall see ... ."
Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
Google Voice with existing mobile number? 
pltc7hgvaidf3pn54m539u91ie2k1h1pg@4ax.com...
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