DON'T CUT THE CORD

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LOCAL NUMBER PORTABILITY (LNP)

The new federally mandated wireless number portability rules are currently effective only for companies in the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. COALFIELDS TELEPHONE is not in one of the top 100 metropolitan areas. For companies like ours, number portability is scheduled to become available on May 24, 2004, PROVIDED any wireless carrier decides to make such a request here in our area. In order for customers to port their number, the carrier to which you wish to port your wireline telephone number must send us a request to negotiate an agreement that will allow us to port numbers. Until such time that COALFIELDS TELEPHONE receives such a request and works through the expected six-month process, we will not be able to port numbers.

As a community based communications provider with deep ties to our area, COALFIELDS TELEPHONE wants all of our customers to know what it means to port your telephone number, and to give you an idea of some of the differences in the service between traditional wireline phones and what you can expect from a wireless carrier.
  • If you decide to port your wireline (traditional) phone number to a wireless carrier, you will be disconnecting your wireline phone and terminating your traditional local phone service.
  • You will no longer enjoy unlimited local calling; you should be aware of how many minutes are included in your wireless plan, and keep in mind that all calls - both those you make and those you receive - will count against your total minutes; you will be responsible to pay for any overages.
  • You will have to arrange with your wireless provider for a directory listing and directory assistance services.
  • You will no longer have access to all the other communication services, or such services as alarm monitoring and video pay-per-view, connected or confirmed through your wireline phone.
  • You will no longer be able to access the Internet using a local, unlimited dial-up connection; i.e., you will have to depend on your wireless phone for Internet service; in certain instances, you may be able to connect your wireless phone to your PC to access the Internet, but you are likely to need additional hardware and/or software to enable your wireless phone to communicate with your PC; in any case, you need to keep in mind that your time spent on the Internet will count against the minutes in your wireless plan.
  • You will be unable to reach someone at home who does not have their cell phone turned on or with them.
  • If you take your wireless phone with you, other members of your family will be without a telephone. Are you going to purchase a wireless phone for every member of your family?
  • In a home emergency, or hazardous weather condition, your landline telephone may be the most reliable.
  • You must keep your wireless phone charged at all times in order to use it. If the power goes out and your wireless phone is not charged, or the battery wears down, you will have to wait for power to be restored before you can charge your phone.
  • Should you decide to re-connect your wireline phone service in the future, you will be responsible for applicable set-up fees and charges to connect your home phone.
  • In general, a phone number can only be assigned to a single wireless phone. With a traditional wireline phone, you can have many phones (or extensions) in your house that hook up to the same number. Typically, wireless phones can't share numbers. With your wireless phone there are additional charges to share or ring one number.
  • If your home is in an area that does not enjoy clear wireless reception, your calls might be patchy, unclear, or have a tendency to drop. Be aware of your surroundings and the type of reception that your wireless phone gets at home, as this is the type of service quality you'll have for all your calls.

THE BOTTOM LINE---STAY CONNECTED WITH COALFIELDS TELEPHONE. LOCAL NUMBER PORTABILITY MAY BE MORE HYPE AND TROUBLE THAN IT'S WORTH.