So I have read all the articles that tout the fact that (U.S) consumers can now carry our cellular phone numbers from carrier to carrier. However, after doing a bit of research, I can not figure out if I am able to do the following:
The scenario: I hate my cell phone provider. In addition, I am quitting my job and in between jobs, embarking on a ten week tour of Southeast Asia where I will not need my Sprint cell phone. I have already had it for over a year. Is it possible to terminate the service, thereby not paying a monthly charge while I am abroad, and return to the States ten weeks later, get a new cell phone carrier, yet retain my original cell phone number which will have been inactive for those ten weeks?
Nextel offers a service called “seasonal standby” which shuts the phone off, but retains the phone number (and direct connect number specific to Nextel). In my case, it also temporarily relieved me from the contractual obligation by extending the contract until I needed it again.
You should call your current provider and see if they have the standby shutoff and then turn it back on and switch when you get back to the States.
Worth a try. And in his case quite likely Sprint would be happy to do it. Since he is apparently no longer under contract, if he wanted to stay with Sprint (and, they wouldn’t know he didn’t), putting the service on standby likely would be cheaper than him cancelling, and then starting service over again when he returned from Asia.