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Porting US cell number


timjwilson

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I'm looking for input from those with experience porting (permanently retaining - moving) a US cell phone number so calls ring on a Mexican cell phone. Company used - quality, can be used for ID verification, etc.

Some companies I've looked at; OpenPhone, CallCentric, (Magic Jack?).  Another similar service is Google Voice but apparently one needs to be physically in the US to port the number.

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You can not "port" a US number to Mexico. 

 If you need an option for bank confirmations Tmobile has a plan for $3.00 per month. The texts can be received in Mexico for 50 cents each.  You will also need a cell that that is 4G LTE for it to work. You won't find the plan on Tmobile's site. You will need to buy the chip from a reseller at about $50 one time.  Search $3 pay as you go tmobile in Ebay

 

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23 hours ago, timjwilson said:

I'm looking for input from those with experience porting (permanently retaining - moving) a US cell phone number so calls ring on a Mexican cell phone. Company used - quality, can be used for ID verification, etc.

Some companies I've looked at; OpenPhone, CallCentric, (Magic Jack?).  Another similar service is Google Voice but apparently one needs to be physically in the US to port the number.

I have been here for 22 years and looked for years for a way to do just that.  It can't be done. My solution is to keep a cell on T-mobile in the USA that is prepaid (cheapest plan I could find) and cost less than $100 a year. I have had a Mexico ATT phone. for years I had them in a dual sim phone.  Either sim would make or receive a call. Recently I have moved the US sim to a new older phone that just stays powered off in a drawer in my desk until I need to receive a code. There were a few companies that would receive a text and forward it quickly to your computer but somehow the banks would figure that out and not use that number. 

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15 hours ago, Mostlylost said:

You can not "port" a US number to Mexico. 

 If you need an option for bank confirmations Tmobile has a plan for $3.00 per month. The texts can be received in Mexico for 50 cents each.  You will also need a cell that that is 4G LTE for it to work. You won't find the plan on Tmobile's site. You will need to buy the chip from a reseller at about $50 one time.  Search $3 pay as you go tmobile in Ebay

 

Thanks for the info, I'm paying more than that. I will change T-mobile plan this week.

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We ported 2 Canadian numbers, and 1 US number 5 or 6 years ago. The Canadian numbers we ported to Fongo, and the US ported to TextNow. These are apps you install on a smartphone or a tablet, and they work as phones (calling, texting, receiving, etc). No matter where you are, what provider you use, these number will be with you and ring on your device, and allow you to call out and text. In fact we cancelled our canadian rogers cell phone, and use telcel exclusively wherever we go, with Fongo and Textnow apps installed. Works great.

Just to add: fongo numbers work for ID verification, including banking, short texting, social media, etc, as you would expect from a cell phone. We hardly use textnow, but assume it works the same. You will have to confirm your e911 location when you port.

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Both apps are free. Free versions display small ads, but they do not bother me as these are inconspicuous. You can pay a nominal fee to remove ads. 
Outgoing and receiving calls on fongo are free to / from any Canadian number (landline and cell), and international rates are very low (compared to cellular provider fees); fongo charges for outgoing texting, something like $1/month unlimited to canadian numbers, or $2/month worldwide. Receiving texts is always free.
Calls on textnow are free to any US / Canadian numbers, and international rates are very low too; texting is free to US and Canadian phone numbers. 
Visit corresponding websites for rates to worldwide locations. 
You can make / receive calls and send / receive text messages using wifi or a cellular network connection. Call quality is excellent on our android phones. Texting is real-time. We are happy with the setup. Works for us wherever we travel overseas, with no roaming fees.
There is a regulatory fee to port a phone number, as I recall it was $25, and took several days to complete. You own the number, and if you get tired of either app you can port a number from them elsewhere, including back to a cellular operator. You can port a cell number, or a landline number.

PS: You do not need to port an existing number, you can test both apps by applying for a new number through either app, but these numbers will be considered virtual numbers, and come with certain limitations, they may not work with some services (ie short-code texting, etc). 

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2 hours ago, MakeItSo said:

Both apps are free. Free versions display small ads, but they do not bother me as these are inconspicuous. You can pay a nominal fee to remove ads. 
Outgoing and receiving calls on fongo are free to / from any Canadian number (landline and cell), and international rates are very low (compared to cellular provider fees); fongo charges for outgoing texting, something like $1/month unlimited to canadian numbers, or $2/month worldwide. Receiving texts is always free.
Calls on textnow are free to any US / Canadian numbers, and international rates are very low too; texting is free to US and Canadian phone numbers. 
Visit corresponding websites for rates to worldwide locations. 
You can make / receive calls and send / receive text messages using wifi or a cellular network connection. Call quality is excellent on our android phones. Texting is real-time. We are happy with the setup. Works for us wherever we travel overseas, with no roaming fees.
There is a regulatory fee to port a phone number, as I recall it was $25, and took several days to complete. You own the number, and if you get tired of either app you can port a number from them elsewhere, including back to a cellular operator. You can port a cell number, or a landline number.

PS: You do not need to port an existing number, you can test both apps by applying for a new number through either app, but these numbers will be considered virtual numbers, and come with certain limitations, they may not work with some services (ie short-code texting, etc). 

Since you posted, I went down the rabbit hole a bit and discovered a number of apps offering similar services. I would prefer one which functions with the local cell network as well as WIFI. Looking at this as well https://www.sideline.com/ 

 

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2 hours ago, timjwilson said:

Since you posted, I went down the rabbit hole a bit and discovered a number of apps offering similar services. I would prefer one which functions with the local cell network as well as WIFI. Looking at this as well https://www.sideline.com/ 

 

I wouldn't be surprised if other similar services emerged since. It is a brilliant idea. One of the lines we ported was a landline we had since the 70s, and now it is with us wherever we are, and we didn't have to tell anybody to change our contact info.

I'm not familiar with sideline. Fongo and TextNow are independent of any networks or operators. They work on any device, you simply need a / any connection - wifi or cellular. We have the apps loaded on our telcel phones, and wifi tablets, and use whichever we happen to be closest to when they ring.

If in doubt simply download the app, sign up for a free phone number, and test the features. The free numbers are disposable.

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17 hours ago, RickS said:

I understand how those providers could work in either the US or Canada but I'm at a loss as to how your 1970s Cadadian land line # can ring on a Telcel cellphone in Mexico. Wifi maybe but cellular?

 

 

It comes over the internet like all apps. Your cell has internet when not connected to a wifi

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12 hours ago, RickS said:

I understand how those providers could work in either the US or Canada but I'm at a loss as to how your 1970s Cadadian land line # can ring on a Telcel cellphone in Mexico. Wifi maybe but cellular?

 

 

Nothing mysterious about it anymore. Depending on the region, AT&T, Verizon, and in Canada Bell and Rogers landlines use voip technology for calls. Our landline provider in Canada converted to voip long ago (I think our landline was voip for about 10 years before we ported the number to fongo). As long as you have a cell phone with a data plan you're good to go. That's how internet communicators, including whatsapp, work too. Fongo and textnow go further by allowing you to call actual phone numbers, whether landline or cell. You can use Skype and google voice to call landlines and cell phones too. etc. etc.

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1 hour ago, Mostlylost said:

It comes over the internet like all apps. You cell has internet when not connected to a wifi

Yes, this is how a Whatsapp call works; it is data either thru cell data or Wifi, whatever the device is using at the time.      And Whatsapp calls have generally been clearer / better sound quality than local cell calls for quite some time now IMHO.

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1 hour ago, MakeItSo said:

Nothing mysterious about it anymore. Depending on the region, AT&T, Verizon, and in Canada Bell and Rogers landlines use voip technology for calls. Our landline provider in Canada converted to voip long ago (I think our landline was voip for about 10 years before we ported the number to fongo). 

I think that *we* may have a terminology problem.  The term 'landline' refers to a telephone service that uses ONLY solid core copper wire that gets plugged into the wall at one's home. It's analog technology, not digital.

Some folks.... including my wife.... still call their 'home' phones a 'landline' while it is in fact a digital VoIP phone using the Internet, not copper wiring from the provider. 

My understanding is that Rogers did long ago 'adopt' VoIP for their phone service BUT they used their own PacketCable network from your home to their shop, not the Internet. When that call was going to 'another' non-Rogers provider they had to convert the signal in their shop to one that everyone else understood and used before putting it on the PSTN network.

BUT back to the real subject..... am I understanding that one can use a TelCel cellphone and, say, the textnow app to send/receive a phone call/text from the US?  Must one have to also have a data plan on the TelCel device?  

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2 hours ago, RickS said:

I think that *we* may have a terminology problem.  The term 'landline' refers to a telephone service that uses ONLY solid core copper wire that gets plugged into the wall at one's home. It's analog technology, not digital.

Some folks.... including my wife.... still call their 'home' phones a 'landline' while it is in fact a digital VoIP phone using the Internet, not copper wiring from the provider. 

My understanding is that Rogers did long ago 'adopt' VoIP for their phone service BUT they used their own PacketCable network from your home to their shop, not the Internet. When that call was going to 'another' non-Rogers provider they had to convert the signal in their shop to one that everyone else understood and used before putting it on the PSTN network.

BUT back to the real subject..... am I understanding that one can use a TelCel cellphone and, say, the textnow app to send/receive a phone call/text from the US?  Must one have to also have a data plan on the TelCel device?  

Perhaps a "wired" connection is more appropriate?

As for the calling apps, they require data, this can be wifi, or cellular (we use the telcel amigo sin limites). In other words, one cannot use these apps on call/text plans alone.

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16 minutes ago, MakeItSo said:

Perhaps a "wired" connection is more appropriate?

As for the calling apps, they require data, this can be wifi, or cellular (we use the telcel amigo sin limites). In other words, one cannot use these apps on call/text plans alone.

Thank you for multiple informative posts.

I'd like to add that Whattsapp and FB are unlimited on Telcel. Or at least all the monthly plans ive seen listed. They don't count against your data. I've been told that is why so many stores post a Whattsapp number and have a FB page but no website.

 

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6 minutes ago, Whipstock said:

Thank you for multiple informative posts.

I'd like to add that Whattsapp and FB are unlimited on Telcel. Or at least all the monthly plans ive seen listed. They don't count against your data. I've been told that is why so many stores post a Whattsapp number and have a FB page but no website.

 

Yep, whatsapp doesn't count against your telcel data. But, far as I know, it only works when both parties use whatsapp, whereas fongo or textnow are used as any phone - they are used to call and receive calls from landlines and cell phone numbers.

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4 hours ago, RickS said:

I think that *we* may have a terminology problem.  The term 'landline' refers to a telephone service that uses ONLY solid core copper wire that gets plugged into the wall at one's home. It's analog technology, not digital.

Some folks.... including my wife.... still call their 'home' phones a 'landline' while it is in fact a digital VoIP phone using the Internet, not copper wiring from the provider. 

My understanding is that Rogers did long ago 'adopt' VoIP for their phone service BUT they used their own PacketCable network from your home to their shop, not the Internet. When that call was going to 'another' non-Rogers provider they had to convert the signal in their shop to one that everyone else understood and used before putting it on the PSTN network.

BUT back to the real subject..... am I understanding that one can use a TelCel cellphone and, say, the textnow app to send/receive a phone call/text from the US?  Must one have to also have a data plan on the TelCel device?  

I have never heard of Telcel pre-pay nor post-pay that does not have data. 

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1 hour ago, MakeItSo said:

Yep, whatsapp doesn't count against your telcel data. But, far as I know, it only works when both parties use whatsapp, whereas fongo or textnow are used as any phone - they are used to call and receive calls from landlines and cell phone numbers.

I once had the Magicjack app so that I could call non Whattsapp numbers in USA/CAN and 800 numbers. I don't care for their software. 

Have you used Fongo or textnow, successfully with 800 numbers?(Directly calling without changing the 8xx part to what is needed from Mexico.)

Cheaper than getting a dual sim phone!!

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I must be missing something. If I used my last 'landline' number in Colorado, the number now belongs to someone else. If someone called it, they would reach the current owner, not me. Unless I had continued to pay for that phone number, US West gave it to another customer. ???????

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18 minutes ago, MtnMama said:

I must be missing something. If I used my last 'landline' number in Colorado, the number now belongs to someone else. If someone called it, they would reach the current owner, not me. Unless I had continued to pay for that phone number, US West gave it to another customer. ???????

If you give up your service, the number gets recycled after a period of time, and assigned to next customer. If you want to keep your number you have to port it before cancelling service.

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1 hour ago, Whipstock said:

I once had the Magicjack app so that I could call non Whattsapp numbers in USA/CAN and 800 numbers. I don't care for their software. 

Have you used Fongo or textnow, successfully with 800 numbers?(Directly calling without changing the 8xx part to what is needed from Mexico.)

Cheaper than getting a dual sim phone!!

Yes, fongo and textnow work with Canadian and US 1800 numbers, I have to call these several times a week for various reasons. You dial as if you were in the US or Canada: 1-800-xxx-xxxx

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1 hour ago, Mostlylost said:

I have never heard of Telcel pre-pay nor post-pay that does not have data. 

Perhaps, but elsewhere such services exist, for example rogers is forced by the crtc to offer a "cheap" service, and that is what they have: a calling / texting plan, without data.

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