OK first up, I know "email portability" is not quite the right technical term, but using this term as it is the same idea as number portability.
So on to the discussion: Is it time that the industry look into customers being able to keep their existing email address when moving to another ISP at minimal or zero cost?
There is of course the argument that "people should just not use an ISP email address anyway", but the reality is many people do and I feel this has become a barrier to changing ISPs.
There is the odd ISP e.g. Orcon that do "email address for life", and sometimes Xtra email addresses live on too.
But now especially with most ISP's only offering complete bundles service, it can be near impossible to retain your old email address at reasonable cost, if at all when changing iSP's. This I feel also boarders on being anti-competitive.
Ideally I feel a system in place that a customer can retain their old email address indefinitely when moving ISP with a choice of:
1. No cost - email forward only option
2. $5 or less per month, full email box option.
So what do you think?
How would we go about rallying support for change?