Google To Wiggle Around, Over iPhone Ban > Numbers

Numbers

No kidding! There aint crap in the East Texas (Longview/Tyler) area either. All available numbers are long distance.

Does national long distance even exist anymore or is it the area code you are used to, not available?

Who pays for national long distance anymore?

reply to Hookem99
Since GV is using a VoIP gateway, you basically get a similar number selection (a little less right now) to your run-of-the-mill non-cable non-telco VoIP services. I have to use a San Antonio number for mine, but OTOH the only people who don't have LD included are peeps still using landlines. At which point they can call my cell directly around here, as it's a local number

LD is included in almost EVERY phone package anymore, especially with ATT.

Interesting. Lots of people around here don't seem to have it. Why pay $20 per month for LD when 99% of your calls are local? Our ILEC is Verizon FWIW. No DSL, no FiOS, just POTS.

Verizon acquired a small Long Distance carrier a few years back... You may have heard of them... MCI? Anyone?

There are plenty of Verizon LD included plans...

Yep, and the LD plans are more expensive than just doing pay-per-minute on a cheap plan.

The bigger point here is that there are no VoIP DID providers in my area, so you can't get a local number with any VoIP provider, let alone Google Voice. T-Mobile doesn't even have local numbers here, and AT&T didn't until they bought Dobson CellularOne, who bought one of the two local cellular providers in the area.

VZ had LD packages well before MCIWorldCom/UUNet....

Also TM doesn't have numbers in many of the cities they sell service in. It's a TM thing. When I signed up with them 2 years ago I had to get a Toledo OH number and lived 45minutes away--it was an LD number...I ended up going and getting an ATT Go Phone just for a local number to port into TM that was the only way to do it and still is the only way.

And many of VZ's LD packages are cheaper if you sign up online for it. It's the same with every company. Also they don't volunteer their lower priced packages to you, so all you have to do is ASK they'll tell you then.

A basic phone line around here is $20ish per month after all taxes and fees. $45 per month gets you unlimited long distance, per what Verizon says. Thing is, we don't use $25 worth of long distance. So the phone line stays at the lowest tier. *shrugs* If we really wanted cheap phone service, including LD, we'd grab a phone from Pocket Communications (local cell provider with a $25 plan that includes all that).

Seriously though, not having loca numbers in areas you serve is a big turnoff for customers I'd say. I'm thinking maybe 1% of the people here have T-Mobile phones. The rest are (in order of size) Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, Five Star and Pocket. CricKet comes after T-Mobile...their service positively blows here.

again that is the price VZ is giving you probably on the phone and NOT in any promo.

Many carriers don't feel the need to go to the ILECs and Level3 to purchase numbers.

Also how do you figure out who has what in terms of size? Just because you see alot of VZ phones or stores doesn't mean more people don't have Sprint, or ATT. Sprint has A LOT of unbranded phones.

Really easy to tell who has what. Very few people here port their numbers between carriers, and you can tell the carrier by the exchange.

Another note: every cell carrier here has local numbers except T-Mobile. No VoIP carrier has local numbers except Time Warner Cable.

As for the price Verizon gave, it was a promotional offer. Was on the cover of one of our landline bills.

Lastly, T-Mobile has no stores in the area. Verizon and Sprint have exclusive dealers, no corp stores. AT&T has a corp store here, but is a recent entrant into the market. You can buy everyone except Verizon at Wal-Mart though.