Moving locally - Orcon cannot guarantee I will keep my number

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › Moving locally - Orcon cannot guarantee I will keep my number - ideas?

chasio

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#103030 29-May-2012 10:17

Hi. In a few weeks I will move about 3km to a location with the same area code. I rang Orcon to arrange this and was told they cannot assure me that I will keep the same number. I am on an LLU POTS and BB plan with them. On the plus side there is no reconnection fee, or so they said.

As best I recall, when I was with Telecom the exchange for my current place and new place were the same. The Orcon rep got a bit p*ssy with me when I (politely but unhappily) questioned why it was not possible to organise for me to keep my number. The answer to "But why not?" was, "You just can't, I've checked".

The all seems a bit rubbish to me. I want to keep the number but I don't really want to go with a VOIP service, unless there is something that will give me a (i) phone during a power outage and (ii) really good voice quality.

Any good ideas on a way forward, please? TIA.

PS - As a complicating factor, my 12 month contract with them expires about 4 days after we move.

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#631874 29-May-2012 10:53

chasio:

The all seems a bit rubbish to me. I want to keep the number but I don't really want to go with a VOIP service, unless there is something that will give me a (i) phone during a power outage and (ii) really good voice quality.

Using a UPS will keep a router going for quite a while in a power outage.

In regards to your actual question though.. This seems to just be what all the providers are saying. We moved a business recently with 4 ISDN and they wouldnt even guarantee their number would stay the same, which is just absolutely ridiculous I thought. However, when it came it moving day there was no issue what so ever. The numbers were just ER'd as normal. This was on telecom equipment though and not ULL gear.

chasio

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#631884 29-May-2012 11:08

Thanks. Weird that they can't say "yes, it will stay ythe same 99% of the time" rather than "there are no guarantees".

I did wonder about a UPS or even just having a power inverter in the garage: more flexible for other devices if needed, and I have a few 12v batteries I could use.

I looked at Orcon Genius and the no-contract basic kit rental is $5 a month, so maybe I should switch to Genius in the short term and then go back to POTS if I really don't get on with VOIP. Oddly, Genius would actually cost me more as I got a very good deal a year ago.

Any other suggestions? TIA

chevrolux

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#631889 29-May-2012 11:28

I swapped to Snap recently and have been shouting their name from the roof tops. Super easy switch. Rock bottom prices. Speeds are great. Then just ported my number to 2Talk as a VoIP provider. Works really well. $6/month for line rental but I pay for each call. We don't use the landline much so are fine with it. For $20/month you can get a crazy amount of minutes and not worry about credit on the account.

ChevronX

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#631891 29-May-2012 11:29

chasio: Thanks. Weird that they can't say "yes, it will stay ythe same 99% of the time" rather than "there are no guarantees".

I did wonder about a UPS or even just having a power inverter in the garage: more flexible for other devices if needed, and I have a few 12v batteries I could use.

I looked at Orcon Genius and the no-contract basic kit rental is $5 a month, so maybe I should switch to Genius in the short term and then go back to POTS if I really don't get on with VOIP. Oddly, Genius would actually cost me more as I got a very good deal a year ago.

Any other suggestions? TIA

Politics! Orcon Genius would have cost me more as well on my normal 30GB Orcon line I had with LAN line, which is quite funny.

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sbiddle

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#631918 29-May-2012 12:11

Phone numbers can't be moved between NEAX changes, so if you have ported to Orcon and are now moving back to a wholesale connection on another exchange or a cabinetised connection you'll have to move to VoIP if you want to keep your number, or pay for a Customerlink.

chasio

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#631965 29-May-2012 14:00

sbiddle: Phone numbers can't be moved between NEAX changes, so if you have ported to Orcon and are now moving back to a wholesale connection on another exchange or a cabinetised connection you'll have to move to VoIP if you want to keep your number, or pay for a Customerlink.

You have lost me on the NEAX changes, sorry.

I am trying to stay with Orcon on an LLU plan. I am confused as to why they cannot tell me if they'll be able to move my number with my connection. Perhaps it is a different cabinet (no idea) but I'd have thought it was feasible to know in advance if the move was possible.

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Ragnor

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#631985 29-May-2012 14:43

chasio:

You have lost me on the NEAX changes, sorry.

The Telecom Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) backbone is powered by the NEC NEAX61 series digital telephone exchanges.

These are very old and don't support moving a number between regional areas.

Perhaps you are moving to an area where you are on a cabinet or exchange where Orcon can't use their own gear to provide the service and have to resell Chorus services.

chasio

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#632008 29-May-2012 15:15

Ragnor:
chasio:

You have lost me on the NEAX changes, sorry.

The Telecom Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) backbone is powered by the NEC NEAX61 series digital telephone exchanges.

These are very old and don't support moving a number between regional areas.

Perhaps you are moving to an area where you are on a cabinet or exchange where Orcon can't use their own gear to provide the service and have to resell Chorus services.

Thanks for the explanation.

Although my current plan is POTS + Broadband, Orcon Genius is available to my current address. It is also available to the new address. That suggests to me that both addresses are served by Orcon's own gear, but I may have misunderstood.

Also IIRC both addresses were connected to the same old exchange. I do know that the first 6 digits are identical for my current address and the place we are moving to e.g. 09 123 4xxx.

I will ring Orcon and discuss if (reluctantly) switching to Genius would make us 100% sure to keep the number when we move.

Also re changing to another provider: it's tempting but I would have to pay a penalty to Orcon if I do it before move day plus about a week. So that changes the sums a bit. It also strikes me that the less I change, the less there is to go wrong.

Zeon

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#632040 29-May-2012 15:59

switching to VOIP is the safest as you can take your number anywhere. Many providers offer this now including Orcon Genius.

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chasio

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#632074 29-May-2012 16:49

Thanks for the reply re VOIP.

I rang Orcon and was told there is a very high likelihood of retaining the number successfully if we switch to Genius as we move i.e. make the request to go to Genius at the same time as changing the service address, or if we switch in advance. They remain less confident of success if we stick to the "mix and match" plan (POTS + BB) that we have currently.

The cost of changing to Genius is $99 unless I take a contract (not that keen TBH) plus the cost of a low current UPS or inverter** (about $85) plus another $99 when we move. If I take a 12 month contract connection is free and I can switch to Genius in advance, which would de-risk it further, plus the address change is free.

Going with another VOIP provider will cost us an ATA plus UPS/inverter, plus a new connection fee with someone.

So a 12 month contract is less risk at reasonable cost, provided I don't want to go back to POTS within 12 months. I won't, but my partner is not keen on VOIP (she's not really a Luddite but...). Basically Genius looks relatively cheap.

A bit O/T in my own thread, but are there any UPS devices that can be switched on and give power on demand when there is no input AC? The APC unit I have on one of the PC's will not do this.

Cheers - Chasio

** I assume the current draw of a Genius device is pretty low.

ajobbins

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#632083 29-May-2012 16:58

sbiddle: Phone numbers can't be moved between NEAX changes, so if you have ported to Orcon and are now moving back to a wholesale connection on another exchange or a cabinetised connection you'll have to move to VoIP if you want to keep your number, or pay for a Customerlink.

I'm curious to know how a 'Customerlink' works on the exchange. Surely Telecom could 'Customerlink' you to your new exchage (On a dummy number in that exchanges range) and set your outbound CID to your existing number? What they charge for their CustomerLink service is very high considering you could do the same thing with a VoIP line for less than 1/4 the cost.

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grant_k

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#632086 29-May-2012 17:06

chasio: A bit O/T in my own thread, but are there any UPS devices that can be switched on and give power on demand when there is no input AC? The APC unit I have on one of the PC's will not do this.

What you are looking for is an "Online" UPS such as this one:

http://www.electricaldirectltd.co.nz/ecommerce.php?func=14&DCI=105&DPT=p&DPI=1002&

No doubt there will be cheaper ones out there, but the key point with a UPS like this is:

An Online UPS system differs from the less expensive line interactive UPS system as it provides the highest quality power protection. Achieved a double power conversion technique, the Online UPS takes incoming power, converts it to DC, conditions it, and converts it back to AC. This means the UPS is Online since there is no delay to switch to battery.

chasio

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#632114 29-May-2012 17:48

grant_k:
What you are looking for is an "Online" UPS such as this one:

http://www.electricaldirectltd.co.nz/ecommerce.php?func=14&DCI=105&DPT=p&DPI=1002&

No doubt there will be cheaper ones out there, but the key point with a UPS like this is:
(snipped)

Thanks for the info. They do step up a bit in price to get the quality and features, I see!

Having done more research on Genius and getting support for issues, I think I'd still prefer to keep my POTS + DSL arrangement for now. But the risk of losing the number is a worry.

If I were to lose the number in the transition for some reason, could I go to a VOIP provider and request it, assuming it were still available?

ajobbins

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#632118 29-May-2012 17:52

chasio: Having done more research on Genius and getting support for issues, I think I'd still prefer to keep my POTS + DSL arrangement for now. But

How badly do you need to have a working landline in the event of an outage? Could you use a mobile in the event the power is off?

I have my 2talk line set to divert to my cell whenever the trunk goes down. That way if my internet connection goes does, or the power does, incoming calls just fail over nicely to divert to my mobile.

While I do pay a mobile diversion for this, the few times it has happened would have cost me less than a single months POTS rental

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grant_k

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#632125 29-May-2012 18:02

chasio: Having done more research on Genius and getting support for issues, I think I'd still prefer to keep my POTS + DSL arrangement for now. But the risk of losing the number is a worry.

If I were to lose the number in the transition for some reason, could I go to a VOIP provider and request it, assuming it were still available?

Once you have relinquished that number, your chances of getting it back are pretty slim.

For this reason, you would be best to get Customer Link setup before you move. Then the number remains in your possession as it is still active in Telecom's system and cannot be re-assigned without your permission.

I know you are hesitant in leaping into the brave new world of VoIP, but take it from someone who has been using it in place of a landline for 6 years now: The Wife Acceptance Factor is high if you choose the right provider.

For me, this is undoubtedly VFX after I tried 2Talk and found their lack of service to be a major issue. My wife loves the fact that she can talk to people anywhere around the country for 5c per minute, and they can call her as if it were a physical landline. If we are away from home, our voice messages appear in my email, and we have a record of the Caller ID in the email, as well as on all the phones back home. Having used Caller ID for so many years, I would never go without it now. Our local Telecom exchange still doesn't support it, and never will until Telecom also switches to VoIP.

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