Cell number portability comes to Canada

Canadian mobile phone companies have agreed to let customers who change service providers to keep their phone numbers, an industry group said Thursday.

But the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association said a start date has not yet been set for number portability, a feature long demanded by consumer advocates.

As it now stands, customers who change mobile phone companies are forced to change numbers, discouraging many from shopping around.

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But under the proposed changes, customers will be allowed to keep the same phone number when changing service providers within the same local service area.

Consumers also will be able to keep the same phone number when transferring their landline phone service to wireless service and vice versa.

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The industry group said an independent consultant will be hired to provide a plan by Sept. 1 on implementing number portability. It said a start date will be set after that.

The group said Canada has about 15 million wireless phone subscribers. The largest players in the industry are Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp., BCE Inc. , Aliant Inc. and Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.