While most cell-phone users in Honolulu can now switch their wireless companies without losing their existing phone number, customers on Kaua’i will have to wait several months before they can take advantage of this change in federal wireless regulations.
On Monday, new wireless regulations issued by the Federal Communications Commission went into effect.
Consumers can now also disconnect a home phone and swap that number for one with wireless service.
The regulations are first going into effect in the top 100 markets, FCC officials announced.
Leaders of many rural cellular providers are still seeking to stop the change, and have attempted to block or delay the FCC ruling.
The result is that Kaua’i customers, in addition to people in other rural locations across the country, might have to wait six months before they are allowed to switch services and keep the same numbers.
“This is an FCC mandate (about the top 100 markets),” said Gil Mendelson, the Hawai’i AT&T vice president of sales. “Their mandate stated that after this (number portability) was introduced into the top 100 markets, it could then be available for the smaller markets. That was the mandate handed to us, and we are following it.”
The federal rule changes set off a national marketing blitz by cell- phone companies, fearful of losing their customers and anxious to obtain new ones.
But most of the carriers did not sign interconnection agreements or begin extensive testing until the past month.
Regardless of preparations and testing, the biggest wild card simply may be just how many people actually try to move their phone numbers to new carriers starting yesterday.
“Industry estimates have varied widely. We’ve heard estimates as high as nine million on day one. We believe it will be more in line with one million, and we have engineered our systems to handle more than the anticipated volumes,” Mendelson said.
Early results on Monday showed that fewer than 100,000 customers requested the switch. Indications showed that many people were waiting to make sure the “number portability” process runs smoothly, and that unexpected glitches did not arise.
“We have spent $60 million on local-number portability,” said Verizon Public Relations Advisor Georgia Taylor. “We have been anticipating any problems, and have been gearing up for this for a while.”
Although the FCC has set a target of 2.5 hours for carriers to complete the transfer of a number to a rival, experts and most of the companies say the process is likely to take at least a day at first.
“We’ll be a heck of a lot better at this on December 30 than on November 30,” said Howard Waterman, a Verizon spokesman.
Martin Dunsby, an analyst with the consulting firm inCode Telecom Group, said that it could take weeks before the process is “seamless and speedy,” and that problems will persist much longer.
Other glitches may depend on whether carriers intentionally impede the process when they lose a customer.
“Some carriers will be quite particular with information,” said Sprint spokeswoman Jennifer Walsh.
Business Editor Barry Graham may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or mailto:bgraham@pulitzer.net.
