5 days number transfer process

Guest

I recently signed up my friend to Vonage and I was really afraid she
would not like the service because of the number portability (My was
transferred only after 2 months!!!!).

I could not belive but only 4 days ago my friend received the
adapter from Vonage and today her phone number has been transferred
to Vonage from South Western Bell! It was only 5 days since my
friend faxed transfer request to Vonage!

Posts: 33 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jan 18, 2004 Posts: 33

I doubt it. Very Happy

Seriously though, are you sure? Is her old phone line dead?

Posts: 106 · Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2004 12:47 am Post subject:

wireless portability is VERY fast. normally less then a few hours. to a couple days if from a landline. so the process can be very quick i think vonages way of doing it just slow. and it's not all vonages fault that it takes awhile. phone companies hate the fact that Vonage is taking their business and will delay in any way they can

Guest

Do we really have any *evidence* that it is the local phone companies that are causing the delay? Vonage transfers the local number portability requests to a third party. This third party is then responsible for contacting the local phone company with the local number portability request.

I bet most local phone companies are following pretty strict guidelines for scheduling the number transfer. But how long does the third party sit on the requests before they transfer the request to the local phone company? That is the part of the process that is happening behind the scenes, and Vonage is not forthcoming at all about how all of that happens.

I may be wrong about this, but I think the North American Numbering Council (http://www.fcc.gov/wcb/tapd/Nanc/) sets guidelines for the portability process that most local phone companies are obliged to follow. Once they receive a valid number transfer request the clock is ticking for them. But there is no regulatory oversight in regard to how long a contracted third party waits before they forward the request to the local phone company.

In other words, a local phone company that drags its feet could get in trouble with the fcc or with state regulatory agencies, but I don't think there is any regulatory oversight in regard to how long a contracted third party waits before transferring the request to the local phone company.

At any rate, in the Letter of Authorization for number transfer we all send to Vonage it states, "We will...notify you in case there are any unusual delays." Hah! A good start for Vonage would be to start to honor this commitment.

Guest

Oh, believe me - I am pretty sure. Here phone number is with Vonage
now.

Guest

Well, I have to admit that what Vonage calls phone number portability has nothing to do with the phone number portability at all or in the most parts. And the reason for that is that when I dial (from my Vonage line) to-be-transferred phone number, her Vonage line is ringing but not the South Western Bell! The rest of calls (from non-Vonage lines) have been received by SBC line. Evil or Very Mad

So, the Vonage simply did some sort of number portability inside of their network but outside of the Vonage's network the phone number is still in service with SBC. The result is: my friend has disconnected Vonage and using her regular phone line while waiting when her phone number will be transferred. And I am not able to call her anymore, because Vonage directed all my calls in the network to their mailbox system not to existent carrier anymore!!! Don't you think guys that it is illegal?

Posts: 33 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jan 18, 2004 Posts: 33

Quote:

Well, I have to admit that what Vonage calls phone number portability has nothing to do with the phone number portability at all or in the most parts. And the reason for that is that when I dial (from my Vonage line) to-be-transferred phone number, her Vonage line is ringing but not the South Western Bell! The rest of calls (from non-Vonage lines) have been received by SBC line. Evil or Very Mad

That makes sense. Vonage has complete control over where numbers dialed on there network actually go. I don't think they have ever claimed that that is phone number portability though.

Quote:

So, the Vonage simply did some sort of number portability inside of their network but outside of the Vonage's network the phone number is still in service with SBC. The result is: my friend has disconnected Vonage and using her regular phone line while waiting when her phone number will be transferred. And I am not able to call her anymore, because Vonage directed all my calls in the network to their mailbox system not to existent carrier anymore!!! Don't you think guys that it is illegal?

I'm not sure what you mean. Are you saying you call her and the call goes straight to her voice mail?

Guest

I mean that when I dial her current (to be transferred to Vonage) phone number, which is still as I understand has not been transferred but in the process, my friend's Vonage phone is ringing. And if I call here from outside Vonage's network - her SBC phone is ringing.

She has only one telephone in home; as a result she unpluged it from Vonage and pluged it back to the land line (SBC) in order to receive phone calls that is why when I call her I am getting Vonage's mail box greeting...

Posts: 61 · Full Forum Member Joined: Dec 04, 2003 Posts: 61

Ok well my number should have been transferred on the 8th! Grrrrrr still no end in sight. Frustrated.

Guest

If I understand correctly, Zoly is pointing out a paradox of sorts. He is calling his friend from his own Vonage phone. Since her number hasn't been ported yet, she is continuing to use SBC, but Vonage isn't routing his call to her SBC, Vonage is sending his call to her Vonage voicemail. So here's the paradox: since he has a Vonage phone, he can no longer reach his friend directly!

In other words, once you request lnp on a number, anyone using Vonage to call you will have the call connected to your Vonage account, but anyone calling from outside Vonage will have the number connected to your old PTSN number.

The practical answer to this for Zoly and his friend is to have 2 phones connected, one to the POTS line and one to Vonage. That way, people calling from Vonage or over the PTSN can all continue to reach her.

And the answer for Vonage is to stop assigning lnp numbers to Vonage accounts until the number transfer has actually taken place!

Not to go on a rant, but: Is anyone from Vonage listening to any of this? If so, could someone from Vonage please comment? I think it isn't acceptable to have one phone number ringing to one of two different places, depending on what system the call is placed from! Let me go even further. I bet there is some law or regulation that is being violated in having the system work this way. Vonage hasn't completed the number transfer yet, but they are essentially hijacking the phone number for their own internal purposes. The number doesn't belong to them yet, it belongs to the local phone company!

Ok, I can't stop myself, here's more:
There is all kinds of talk from the Voip community about the need to avoid excessive regulation in order to allow the Voip business to develop. The only alternative to external regulation is self-regulation, and that means taking quick steps to correct the kinds of problems that Zoly has brought to our attention! Are you listening Vonage?