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Small Business News November 2003 | Tech Buzz
By Alan Lam, President, Quorum On June 6, 2003, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld their original ruling, and dismissed the April 15, 2003 challenge by Verizon Wireless and the Cellular Communications and Internet Association (CCIA), so on November 24, a sweeping change will happen with wireless services. We will now be able to move our wireless phone number from our present service provider, and start service with another local wireless provider, using our same number. In Hawaii, the main wireless service providers are: Nextel, Sprint, ATT, T-Mobile, and Verizon. There are a few other points to keep in mind regarding number portability. First, the date mandated by the FCC is November 24. So far there are no guidelines from the wireless industry on how to go about moving a wireless number. There are also other unanswered issues. For example, will there be a service interruption as your wireless number is deactivated, then reactivated. You should probably give the other early adopters (including many screaming customers and frantic wireless customer service representatives) the first few weeks to work out the bugs. Second, just because you can move your wireless number on November 24th, that will not invalidate your present subscriber agreement if you are still within the contract period. Early termination fees will still apply and I suspect that the wireless carriers will vigorously enforce early cancellation fees, which usually run about $200. Third, your present wireless phone will probably not be usable, so you will need to select a new phone. If you have a Samsung i500 Palm phone and want to move to T-Mobile or Nextel, sorry, your i500 will not move with you. To top it off, T-Mobile or Nextel does not have a Palm phone that comes even close to the i500. Fourth, I advise my clients that they should pick their wireless service by either the service plan or by the equipment. For example, if you want the popular Nextel Free Incoming plan, then your equipment choice should be Motorola and Blackberry. If you want a service plan with International service, then your service choice should be Nextel, T-Mobile, or ATT. If you want Palm or Pocket PC based phones, then your choices are Sprint, ATT, T-Mobile or Verizon. Fifth, check your current wireless subscriber dates and call your wireless customer service line to double check your contract expiration date. Be sure to note time, date, the person you spoke to, and an "Incident" or "Ticket" number about what was said and agreed. Later on, stating that you spoke to "Mary or Cary around 2 or 3 weeks ago" won't result in a decision in your favor. Lastly, although you can keep your mobile number and move to a different carrier, there is always a cost in time, equipment, and potential service interruption. So, you should list the "pros and cons" of your current wireless plan, and pass them along to your wireless provider. In some cases they can accommodate your business needs. Why? Because it cost them hundreds of dollars to get a new customer. Free phones are not free to the wirelessprovider, nor is advertising. How did you become aware of the promotion? Salaries and commissions. Somebody has to be motivated to help you, and somebody has to pay the bill to provide power to the increasing number of cell sites that help reduce dropped calls, etc. All are just the costs of doing business. Be ready for the biggest change in the wireless industry, and make it a positive change for you and your business.
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