posted on September 11, 2000 03:14:08 PM
I've resisted the expense of a wireless phone but circumstances are developing that warrent my having one.
I've been looking into hardware that will also allow me to check eBay on wireless. Looks expensive and still in early development.
My conclusion was to get standard service with a next to "free" phone and upgrade later.
Problem with that, as I see it, is it means a new number when I make the switch. Keep both or lose calls from people who the had first number (I plan to use it in some offline advertising) doesn't seem like a good plan.
Any suggestions from people who have had wireless experience? Can I get a number I can keep? Go with a certain company where I can likely upgrade and keep the number?
What answers, if any, exist for the potential number problem?
posted on September 11, 2000 03:21:34 PM
My husband and I have upgraded several times and we've kept our same number. The only time I've had to change numbers is when I dropped my single plan and joined a family plan.
posted on September 11, 2000 08:38:45 PM
I've had AT&T Wireless with their PocketNet service which allows me some access to the internet, including eBay.
It's fun, but not always too practical. Remember, cell phones don't have a keyboard so entering words can be awkward. It has come in handy a few times when I suspected I've found a treasure, but a quick check will reveal that it's an eBay dud.
As far as having to change phone numbers, as long as you stay with the same provider, you should be able to keep the same number. Switch providers and you'll have to change, as the provider actually "owns" the number (actually, huge blocks of numbers)
posted on September 11, 2000 09:21:22 PM
I had to change my number because I changed providers. My single account was with Bell Atlantic. I transferred to my husband's provider, Cellular One, so we could have a family account. We also upgraded from analog to digital. I got a new telephone number, but my husband's number stayed the same. Since then we have upgraded the phones and maintained the same phone numbers. I was pleased with the upgrade terms because the new phone for my husband was $50 with a $50 rebate. My phone is the smallest one offered by Ericsson and the upgrade was $100 with a $50 rebate. It only took about 15 minutes to purchase the new phones and to have the phone numbers transferred over.
