choose phone number

[xlarin]

Hello! Can I choose a "public mobile" phone number that I like? How and where to do it?

[wetcoaster]

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@tweakthis wrote:

"- if you want to port a number from another provider it must be from an exchange that Telus serves and both accounts must be active at the time of porting"

I was with Virgin Mobile and was able to port over my number.

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Yes?

Your statement confirms that both your Virgin account and your Public Mobile accounts were active at the time of porting.

And that your Virgin Mobile number is from an area/city/town that Telus also offers numbers at.

Examples:

- it's highly unlikely that you will be able to port a 250-288-xxxx Telus landline number to Bell or Rogers, because the later two don't asign any numbers in Holberg BC. (It might also not be possible to port a Holberg number to Public Mobile since PM doesn't list it as an available exchange in their local calling area selector?)

- If you have a 250-284-xxxx or 250-209-xxxx number you should be able to switch to a provider in the Bell group because they offer numbers in Port Alice BC (250-904-xxxxx). However, Rogers does not.

- All three providers offer numbers in Port Hardy BC (250-230-xxxx, 250-902-xxxx and 250-949-xxxx are Telus numbers, 250-671-xxxx Bell, 250-527-xxxx Rogers) so you should be able to port, say, your Port Hardy FIDO number to Public Mobile.

All three communities are on northern Vancouver Island:

Phone number information comes from here: http://www.cnac.ca/co_codes/co_code_status.htm 

[tweakthis]

"- if you want to port a number from another provider it must be from an exchange that Telus serves and both accounts must be active at the time of porting"

I was with Virgin Mobile and was able to port over my number.

[wetcoaster]

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@CannonFodder wrote:

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@wetcoaster wrote:

Just a reminder that:

- in self serve, the 4 digit search function is only available at the time of signing up.

That would explain that then - I went in there, to see what it looked like, and there wasn't much in the way of options.

- If you want to change your number after, it's choosing the exchange and then hitting the refresh button until you find something you like.

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Are we to assume, that by "refresh button", you mean your browser's refresh button? I was under the impression, from what was said earlier, that there'd be a refresh button within the "Change your number" section, but I didn't see one, or is that also only available at the time of signing up? 🤔 

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Sorry, I was working from memory, which told me that there was a possibility to relatively easy refresh the numbers of your chosen exchange... But you are correct: Right now it seems that, if you don't like the numbers represented in your chosen exchange, you have to choose another exchange, get a set of numbers for that, and then go back to the one you want a number from. Quite tedious, so new subscribers to the service are encouraged to spend plenty of time choosing their initial number, if it's the one they want to keep.

On a side note, I was surprised to see that Victoria is now out of new 250 and 778 numbers. All I got in a dozen tries was 236.

[CannonFodder]

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@wetcoaster wrote:

Just a reminder that:

- in self serve, the 4 digit search function is only available at the time of signing up.

That would explain that then - I went in there, to see what it looked like, and there wasn't much in the way of options.

- If you want to change your number after, it's choosing the exchange and then hitting the refresh button until you find something you like.

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Are we to assume, that by "refresh button", you mean your browser's refresh button? I was under the impression, from what was said earlier, that there'd be a refresh button within the "Change your number" section, but I didn't see one, or is that also only available at the time of signing up? 🤔 

[wetcoaster]

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@popping wrote:

@xlarin 

Yes you can.

Since all current available PM plans has Canada wide minutes, you can pick any area code and phone without paying long distance.  You can search for area code or last 4 digits. 

Sale tax are charge by the area code.  You can get a AB area code just to pay 5% GST only.

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Just a reminder that:

- in self serve, the 4 digit search function is only available at the time of signing up.

- If you want to change your number after, it's choosing the exchange and then hitting the refresh button until you find something you like.

- Numbers from the pool are added in the morning so if you are looking for a number with an older area code early in the day is the time to find one. Keep in mind that recycled numbers could come with an unpleasant history

- only one number change per 30 days

- if you want to port a number from another provider it must be from an exchange that Telus serves and both accounts must be active at the time of porting

[marimacas]

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@AE_Collector wrote:

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@marimacas wrote:

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 Are you an active on PM or going to obtain a new number?

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Those could both be true. I think you meant "Are you an existing PM customer or Creating a New Account"?

AE_Collector 

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Yes, that what I meant.

[AE_Collector]

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@marimacas wrote:

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 Are you an active on PM or going to obtain a new number?

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Those could both be true. I think you meant "Are you an existing PM customer or are you Creating a New Account"?

AE_Collector 

[CannonFodder]

@xlarin  One other thing to keep in mind..... although I ported my existing number from another provider, and haven't seen & used the option to choose a number, I expect that like most of these kind of things, there's PROBABLY a limit to the number of times you can refresh the list of numbers to pick from, and your choice may be somewhat limited..... I suppose one of the other, wiser, PM grizzled veterans can shed some light on that particular topic.

[marimacas]

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@xlarin wrote:

Hello! Can I choose a "public mobile" phone number that I like? How and where to do it?

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 Are you an active on PM or going to obtain a new number?

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-help/articles/choose-your-phone-number

Choose your Phone Number

You can transfer your number from another provider or select a new number. In either case, here’s what you should know:

• With a new phone number, you’ll have to choose your city and province to get an area code. You can also select the option to customize the last 4 digits of your number. Note that you can change your phone number once every 30 days after you’ve activated.
• When you transfer or port your phone number from another provider, you can keep your existing number. Before you do, here are some things you should know:
  • Only the authorized account holder can transfer a number.
  • You cannot transfer numbers between Public Mobile accounts.
  • Your previous account must be active in order for the number transfer to go through. Once the transfer is complete, it will be automatically deactivated from your previous service provider.
  • Double check your old account info, as it needs to be correct in order for your number transfer to complete. Here’s the information you’ll need:

[popping]

@xlarin 

Yes you can.

Since all current available PM plans has Canada wide minutes, you can pick any area code and phone without paying long distance.  You can search for area code or last 4 digits. 

Sale tax are charge by the area code.  You can get a AB area code just to pay 5% GST only.

[LovesToPM · Accepted solution]

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@xlarin wrote:

Hello! Can I choose a "public mobile" phone number that I like? How and where to do it?

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If your're already a customer, logon your self-serve account.

Change Your Phone Number

To change your phone number: sign in to Self-Serve, select ‘Change Number' under 'My Profile' on the Overview page. Here, you can choose to select a new phone number or to transfer a wireless or wireline number from another provider.

After choosing your city (which determines the area code), you'll be presented with a list of numbers to choose from. If you don't see anything you like, you can continue refreshing the list until you find a suitable number.

More info here: https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/on/get-help/articles/choose-your-phone-number