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Cutting the Cord: What You Should Know About Switching Your Service to Wireless
As a community based telecom provider with deep ties here in Brantley County, BTC wants our customers to know exactly what it means to "go wireless" — to terminate your traditional wireline phone and switch to wireless as your single connection. If you decide to port your telephone number to a wireless carrier, we want to give you an idea of some of the service differences between traditional wireline phones and what you can expect from a wireless carrier:
- If you port your wireline (traditional) phone number to a wireless carrier, you will be disconnecting your wireline phone and terminating your traditional local service.
- You may no longer enjoy unlimited local calling; in many cases, you will need to be aware of the number of minutes that are included in your wireless plan, and keep in mind that in many cases (especially if it is someone using a different wireless carrier), both the calls you make and those you receive will count against your total minutes; and, you will be responsible to pay for any overages.
- When you switch your service to a wireless carrier, you may be required to purchase a new phone and sign an "extended" service agreement; many wireless plans require up to a 24-month service contract, and significant penalties may apply if you decide to terminate the agreement before its expiration.
- You will have to arrange with your wireless provider for a directory listing and directory assistance services.
- In an emergency, E-911 service can pinpoint your traditional home phone, but in most cases, not your cell phone.
- You will no longer have access to all the other telecom services that BTC offers, or any services that are connected or confirmed through your wireline phone.
- In most cases, you will no longer be able to access the Internet using a local, unlimited dial-up or high-speed connection; in some cases, 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 your home who does not have their cell phone on or with them.
- You will have to keep your wireless phone charged at all times; if the power goes out and your phone is not charged, or the battery wears down, you will have to wait until power is 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.
- 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.
With all the services and features — not to mention, reliability — you stand to lose, we raise the question, why would you want to disconnect your wireline phone?
Please feel free to call the BTC business office at 912-462-5111 if you have any additional questions.
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