Do I need a new number?

[Phone]

Hello,

Looking to join Public Mobile. I currently have a Quebec number that I have had forever, and would like to keep this number. I live in Ontario and will be using the phone in Ontario to receive and make calls to/from Ontario only. Do I need a canada wide plan due to my quebec phone number or can I use a province wide Ontario plan?

[Luddite]

Hi all. Well, srlawren and I just did the forwarding experiment and it was a mixed bag:

1. After forwarding my PM number to Fongo/iPod a call from a friend in my home province came through, but a call from srlawren, who's outside, did not.

2. My friend reports that he regularly forwards PM to Fongo/iPad with success

So, better test for yourselves before committing.

FINAL UPDATE: srlawren was using Hangouts for the failed call. Once he changed it to reflect his PM number the call came through. Bottom line is that forwarding to Fongo works.

[computergeek541]

The only determining factor for "home province" is the phone number.  The billing address on file does not even come into play.

Also, there's no such things as an "Ontario wide calling plan".  The plans either include provincial long distance or Canada-wide long distance.

Using an Ontario phone number while you are living in Quebec would usally be a bad idea.  ALL incoming calls that you receive would be considered long distance.   Also, assuming that most of friends and family are likely to be nearby in Quebec, your callers would also have to pay long distance to call you if you had an Ontario number. 

I would either use an Ontario number and get a Canada-wide calling plan (although people calling you would stil need to pay long distance. example someone calling you from Montreal would still have to pay long distance to you call you if you have a Toronto number) or I would get a Quebec-based number (in the city that you are in) and get a province-wide calling plan, if that suites your needs.

[neilselden]

Hi, @Phone,

You can find all the details here.  It is a complete breakdown of how it all works.  Thanks to @ute1978 for providing the graphic flow-chart.

For you, basically, since you will have a Quebec number, any calls you make in Ontario will require either a long distance add-on, or a VoIP solution (like Google Hangouts Dialer, Fongo, MagicApp, etc.).

The VoIP solution uses your data of course, but it's only .5MB per minute.  So if you get the promo plan, you have nothing to worry about.

Here's how you can easily make the most out of the province-wide promo plan.

Hope this helps,

Neil

[jheili99]

@srlawren :it has to be based on area code otherwise we could just change our address temporarly each time we travel.... but no need to apologize..that's why we discuss and have a forum....

[Luddite]

NO: home province is determined by the area code NOT your home address.

[srlawren]

@Phone my apologies--it is indeed based on your area code 😞  http://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Discussions/Definition-of-home-province/m-p/61731/high...

You would unfortunately need a Canada-wide plan.  My apologies again.

[srlawren]

@Phone i'm starting to doubt myself after @Luddite's replies, but my understanding was it's based on your address not your area code.  Let me see if I can find a relevant thread.  EDIT: I was incorrect

[Phone]

@srlawren so what you're saying, is that I would be ok with an ontario wide provincial calling plan on a quebec number as long as my address is in Ontario?

[srlawren]

@jheili99 yes but the trick is that your home province isn't determined by your phone number, it's by your address.

@Phone you could do that by tagging one, e.g. @Mary_M.  However, they are really, really swamped right now, so it might be a while before you hear back.  There are a ton of new activations due to the promo plan.  Please try to be patient.

[Phone]

They currently are calling long distance to me, I would like to know if its long distance to call them, or can I just use a province wide calling plan?

[Luddite]

Home province = area code of phone number.

All other suggestions are correct.

If you keep you PQ number all your new friends in Ontario must call long distance to reach you.

[Phone]

How can I ask a moderator?

[jheili99]

nope.... it would be restricted to your home ( area code ) province .... but i have seen people simply purchasing the "add-on" ... another option would be:

keep your current number ( quebec ) +phone and reduce it to the bare minimum and forward all calls to the new number ( public mobile ) ...

best is probably to ask one of the moderators as this would be a 100% answer i guess?

[srlawren]

Hi @Phone,

You can port your Quebec phone number even if you're living in Ontario.  To the best of my knowledge, your "home province" is actually based on your billing address, not based on your phone number.  So if you are only calling Ontario numbers, I beleive you would be fine with a Province-wide calling plan.

@Luddite, @imm1304 am I right about this?  Please correct me if I'm wrong....

EDIT:  I was incorrect.  Sorry again.

[Phone]

So with just a province wide calling plan, I would not be able to make calls in Ontario?

[jheili99]

not neccessary ..

you could choose to port your quebec number and participate in the new plan being offered but you would have to purchase the long distance "add-on" to make calls while in ontario ........ data and text is canada wide for as much as i know...

cheers