TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Porting an 800 Number

Porting an 800 Number

Fred Atkinson (fatkinson@mishmash.com)
Fri, 3 Jun 2005 07:53:04 -0400

I've accepted a position that is relocating me to the Cullowhee, NC
area. There are about three VOIP providers that provide telephone
numbers for nearby Sylva, NC. Vonage is *not* one of them. So, I
have to change VOIP providers when I move.

Of the three, one has a bad reputation with the BBB. The other two
check out with a good reputation. On the recommendation of someone
with professional judgement that I trust, I've decided which one to go
with.

When I got Vonage service, they wouldn't retarget my personal 800
numbers to my Vonage phone, though they told me I was welcome to use a
toll-free provider to report my number to my Vonage number (Vonage
will provide you with a new 800 number, but they won't retarget one
that you already have).

This company says they will accept your existing 800 numbers and add
them to your service. But, you have to arrange to have them
retargeted to their facitilies yourself.

So, can anyone tell me [or provide me with a link to the instructions
on] how to do this?

I'm also trying to find out if I can get my local Columbia area Vonage
number retargeted to my new provider as a virtual number. I've sent
them an email asking them about that. I gave them the area code and
the exchange.

Verizon is the local provider in that area. I've already corresponded
with them about getting a foreign listing for my new residential VOIP
number. They say absolutely yes and they charge about half of what
Bellsouth charged me for the same thing. I have the name of a person
who is in the know about this and I can contact them once I get my new
number. After all the trouble I had getting my number listed with
Bellsouth (I had to call the PSC in SC to get it done), it'll be
interesting to see how this goes.

Regards,

Fred

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Fred, I may be missing something here,
but regards the redirection of your personal 800 number, why wouldn't
you just do that yourself (to wherever you like) rather than pointing
it at still another 800 number from Vonage, so you will now get twice
the fees for your inbound calls? PAT]

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