As I have written about before I am in the process of moving.  I am going to miss Sanibel. So I asked for an existing service to give me the old phone number on the existing phone.  However for the right price I would have been willing to pay for the existing number as well, just to be safe.

As any of us VoIP types know its possible to ring multiple devices.  For a Canadian carrier, at a previous job we had a service that dialed out with the caller id that was associated with local rate centers.

So when my provider told me, I could not keep both, I tried to find the root.

Here is the IM between my knowing friend and myself.

ME> Quick Question.

Friend> Ack ( Can you tell we talk alot of SIP between us :<)

ME> How come when I use LNP for my cell phone I am not allowed to keep the old one?  Is it tariff issue? Or, a rule at the LNP level?

Friend> Its not the technology ..did you change rate centers?

ME> I took the house number that i sold and made it wireless.  I was not allowed to keep the old wireless number.

Friend>  Becaused you moved? and changed carriers?

ME> yes

Friend> Thats it ..its not technical its political they still have the same BS rules for going out of rate centers for mobile that they have for landline.
If you had just ported land line to mobile bbut did not move It would have been OK

Me> Let me restate
I have a mobile number NNX-XXX-XXXX
I have a landline number NNX-XXX-XXXX
I sold the house with landline and ported it to the mobile.
but the mobile made me give up the existing mobile number that was part of the original service.

Friend> One number per device?
ME> That's what they are saying.  I cant keep both numbers on the device.

Friend> right ..thats it ..

ME>Now you and i know its technically easy
Friend> trival ..
ME>  Like Remote Call Forwarding [RCF].  I am wondering why they wont offer it?

Friend> Some GSM phone cannot deal with 2 numbers but the GSMA specs do call for I think seven. Its stupid ..really then you can have distinctive ringing for personal vs business, etc.

I am always amazed at how stupid carriers really are  the opportunities for higher ARPU abound but they never take advantage of them

ME> I am too.  I would love to understand this one.  Fortunately.  I am friendly with my carriers regulatory team so stay tuned.