Can a Mobile Carrier Require a Specific Plan to Keep My Old Phone Number?

I’m looking for a new phone and a lower monthly mobile phone bill. But the new company doesn’t want to let me keep my old phone number unless I buy four lines, which I don’t need. Can they do that?

No, the cellphone carrier cannot do that. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules are clear:

“If you’re switching service providers and remaining in the same geographic area, you can keep your existing phone number” through a process called phone number porting. Your old mobile carrier has to go along with it, provided it is technically feasible, an FCC spokesperson said.

As a consumer, losing a long-time phone number is a hassle. You use that number not only so friends, associates, even doctors can get in touch, but for discounts at the grocery store and elsewhere.

When you reached out to the new mobile company, a representative probably tried to pitch you a four-line plan to show you the reduction in the per-line tab. But as you indicated, you need only a single line.

If the salesperson tried to mislead you into thinking that bringing over your old phone number was contingent upon your adding lines or agreeing to a specific plan, that’s not kosher. That not only would be a no-no but not make much business sense since the provider presumably wants to welcome you as a new customer.

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AARP writer Ed Baig will answer your most pressing technology questions every Tuesday. Baig previously worked for USA Today, BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report and Fortune, and is author of Macs for Dummies and coauthor of iPhone for Dummies and iPad for Dummies.

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You can keep your number. You might pay a fee

Companies are permitted to charge a fee to transfer your number though they don’t always do so. You can ask to have such charges waived or reduced, the FCC says, which may show up as an activation fee or something similar.

With few exceptions, the cellular company you leave behind cannot refuse to port over the number if you make such a request — even if you still owe money.

“The old carrier is not holding your phone hostage,” says Roger Entner, founder and lead telecom analyst at Recon Analytics in Dedham, Massachusetts.

This doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Look over your current contract to see if you have an early termination fee or remaining balance. You’re still obliged to pay. Your old company will send a bill after you move to a new provider.