Changing phone number to a specific area code

[Gauchito]

Hi,

Can somebody from the Mo contact me about changing my phone number? I'm not able to send private messages to the Mod team (site is loading forever...).

Thanks!

[wetcoaster]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@darlicious wrote:

@GauchitoIf you cannot get the (250)  area code when using Victoria as you city try other areas a little farther out but less populated and you may be able to find the area code you desire.

---

If one were patient then a 250 might show up after many page refreshes. It might not be a nice number but 250 nonetheless.

The problem with the above suggestion is that then the number from a different city would be seen as a long distance number for callers from Victoria. This is more a problem with landlines (which are diminishing) but then what with unlimited nationwide calling, it's becoming less relevant. Who cares where a number is supposedly from with nationwide calling.

Although some caller id's also indicate where your number is from. Oh, you're from Youbou..kinda thing.

---

Quite late to the party but here it goes...

I'm in the Comox Valley, where (nearly) nobody blinks an eye anymore when they see a 778 number, this overlay on the 250 has been in use here since mid 2007, so it's well established here and I would assume in Victoria as well. And as long as it's a local number there's no reason for not choosing a number with a 778 area code IMHO.

Having said that... The occasional 250-650-xxxx number seems to still be available to Public Mobile customers here. I'm not sure if those are numbers that have gone back into the pool (never seen "older" prefixes) or brand new / never used before. There were also new activations for some of my friends where a couple of dozen refreshes still only presented 778-585-xxxx numbers.

I've never found a 250 number for the Comox Valley during a number change on an already active PM account.

@Gauchito 

As mentioned by others: Checking other providers and porting that number in is an option. You might be lucky.

Interestingly enough (and again the experience in Comox Valley does not mean that the same holds true for Victoria) I found some 250 numbers at SpeakOut when Fido was only offering 778 numbers. YMMV.

[darlicious · Accepted solution]

@Anonymous  The vast majority of Vancouver island is served by the (250) area code with the exception that some numbers in Victoria are also served with the (778) area code. My suggestion to try outerlying areas such as the cowichan valley or even as far north as Duncan or chemainus would allow it to still be considered a local calling area by Victoria standards but poaching the number from a different district versus achieving a (250) number from the mainland or the northern part of the island. When I was with telus phoning the island from Vancouver was long distance but roaming with free local calling while in Nanaimo and anywhere south of there including Victoria was local calling as was calling Vancouver.

[Anonymous]

---

@darlicious wrote:

@GauchitoIf you cannot get the (250)  area code when using Victoria as you city try other areas a little farther out but less populated and you may be able to find the area code you desire.

---

If one were patient then a 250 might show up after many page refreshes. It might not be a nice number but 250 nonetheless.

The problem with the above suggestion is that then the number from a different city would be seen as a long distance number for callers from Victoria. This is more a problem with landlines (which are diminishing) but then what with unlimited nationwide calling, it's becoming less relevant. Who cares where a number is supposedly from with nationwide calling.

Although some caller id's also indicate where your number is from. Oh, you're from Youbou..kinda thing.

[darlicious]

@GauchitoIf you cannot get the (250)  area code when using Victoria as you city try other areas a little farther out but less populated and you may be able to find the area code you desire.

[fujiyama]

Another idea is to get a number that you like by signing up for a new monthly (non contract) plan with another carrier. I think going with one of the big 3 will give you the best/most choices in 'new' phone numbers during sign up. After you finish signing up, port that number over to your PM account the same day.

This will cost you one day of service on the new plan and maybe activation fees (should be wavied if you signup online), etc, but you get more choices in numbers this way.

[computergeek541]

@Gauchito wrote:

Victoria, BC - a 250 number

---

For about maybe the last 5 days, I know that the self serve and Community sites have been acting strangely or running slowly. Changing your phone number isn't something that you usually need to contact a moderator for. From what I can see, Public Mobile is currently offering area code 236 area code phone nubmer for Victoria. There is no functional difference between 236 and 250 area codes.Many major cities do not have numbers from the original area code available.

[Gauchito]

The link is loading forever, PM to the mods don't work

[Gauchito]

Victoria, BC - a 250 number

[totalUser]

You can try messaging directly here https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437 

[computergeek541]

---

@Gauchito wrote:

Hi,

Can somebody from the Mo contact me about changing my phone number? I'm not able to send private messages to the Mod team (site is loading forever...).

Thanks!

---

You'll only be able to change to a phone number with a specific area code if Public Mobile has numbers for that city available that use that area code. Which city are you looking for a phone number for?

[hairbag1]

---

@Gauchito wrote:

Hi,

Can somebody from the Mo contact me about changing my phone number? I'm not able to send private messages to the Mod team (site is loading forever...).

Thanks!

---

You should try again occasionally throughout the day. The recent Xmas gifts of free data and calling are slowing things down in the PM website. Just keep trying.