POTS to Dryloop & number to FPL

[laurent]

I can feel that I'm about to experience a lot of trouble with this move, but I see no other way do to it. I'd like to ask this forum for people that did similar things in order to plan the best scenario.

I have a phone line with Bell, and internet DSL on it with TekSavvy.

I want to lose Bell, and go with FreePhoneLine with my number. Hence, I have two move operations to do:
1. Move phone + dsl to dry loop + dsl. This disconnects the phone service.
2. Move my number to FPL.

What's the best strategy? Who should I call first? I don't really care about the loss of phone service, but I don't want to lose internet.

Anyone else tried this move?

[FONGO_steve]

That's a tricky operation to do.
If you cancel with Bell before you port to us, they'll put a hold on your number and we can't port it.

So you'll want to call us and initiate porting. Within 1-3 weeks we'll have the number in our possession (porting dept. will usually know a porting date within a week).

Then, sometime during the wait for the porting to complete, get Teksavvy to order your dry loop and install it on (or around) the porting day.

Lastly, after, and only after, we have possession of the ported number, you can call and cancel Bell.


We offer DSL too - if you're interested I'd love to get you some details.

[laurent]

That's a very interesting situation you mentioned. I was worried that Bell might pull the phone line if I order a number porting, hence disabling my DSL.

Okay so I will contact FPL to start the number porting first.

As for DSL, thanks but it's slightly cheaper with teksavvy, and I get to bypass Bell's throttling with MLPPP.

[callopsitte]

Did that with my sister in law (the lucky one who got her 613-679-XXXX number ported) and everything rocked. Many things are said about such procedures but this is how:

1-Order the dry loop (you can have regular DSL and Dry loop together that way you'll be sure to have your internet on without disruption).

2- Port your number to FPL (porting last makes you sure you won't lose it it will only disconnect the Bell telephone line).

In all you might just be paying a month more of telephone to Bell but you'll be sure you're not out of internet and phone and will also keep your number.

[laurent]

Thanks for that, callopsitte.

I placed a call today to FPL and discussed this with them. They strongly recommend I start with the phone number porting before anything else in order to secure my number. They said there was a risk that Bell would not release my number depending on how things synchronize.

Since the entire point of doing this is to keep my number but reduce my bill, I'm following their plan. They say that after a day or two (I've sent my signed letter today), I can call them back and they should have a planned date for the porting. I can then call my DSL provider and order a move from phone to dry loop on the same date. Since the order for the phone number porting is already registered, they should have a "lock" on my number.

We'll see how it goes, I'll post back the results, if I have internet!

[zombie999]

That's a very interesting situation you mentioned. I was worried that Bell might pull the phone line if I order a number porting, hence disabling my DSL.

When your number is ported, your Bell DSL will still work. No problem there.

[callopsitte]

Zombie,

If his number is ported before the dry loop is done he will have secured the number but will be without internet. FPL is phone over IP (internet) thus DSL over regular POTS shouldn't work.

Any way, whatever thing he does first he will still get it the way he wants it. At worst he'll be out of phone and internet 3-4 days and that's not really a problem I guess.

[laurent]

Well, I have a fallback plan! I can use my iPhone's internet through tethering if my DSL ever goes down. It won't be as fast, granted, but I'll still get internet access.

In any case, as soon as FPL grabs my number, I'll put my voicemail to kick in immediately. My messages are sent via email to my phone so I'll just call back people for a few days.

The important thing is to put a lock on my number so as to not lose it, so I'll see how this pans out.

[callopsitte]

Any which way you do it, as said you'll end up with what you want. But keep us posted after everything is up and running. I'm sure many others will benefit from your experience too.

[zombie999]

Zombie,

If his number is ported before the dry loop is done he will have secured the number but will be without internet. FPL is phone over IP (internet) thus DSL over regular POTS shouldn't work.

Really? You've done it?

Sorry to burst your bubble, porting number out does not cancel the DSL. I did it and that was even before dry loop was available. Once the number is ported, there will be no dial tone but DSL will still work.

[laurent]

I did it and that was even before dry loop was available. Once the number is ported, there will be no dial tone but DSL will still work.

Ah! Great! I was under the impression that Bell, being the clueless idiots they typically are, would just cut everything.

I've been 4 weeks without Internet years ago when I was with iStop and they went bakrupt. Bell stole our line orders and pissed off a few thousand cutomers that couldn't get switched over like me. I hate Bell so much. They even conned my motheR into paying ridiculous fees for her home phone. I almost brought them to court ove this, but finally a complaint to the bureau of telecom complaints solved this, but not without a fight.

Can't wait to be with FPL and ditch Bell permanently.


/rant

[callopsitte]

zombie999 wrote:

Sorry to burst your bubble, porting number out does not cancel the DSL. I did it and that was even before dry loop was available. Once the number is ported, there will be no dial tone but DSL will still work.

So you're telling me, if I port my number to FPL which is VoIP I will still have my DSL internet. Then what about the dry loop? That would mean we woudn't need it and we'd pay for nothing???

[zombie999]

I did it and that was even before dry loop was available. Once the number is ported, there will be no dial tone but DSL will still work.

Ah! Great! I was under the impression that Bell, being the clueless idiots they typically are, would just cut everything.

I've been 4 weeks without Internet years ago when I was with iStop and they went bakrupt. Bell stole our line orders and pissed off a few thousand cutomers that couldn't get switched over like me. I hate Bell so much. They even conned my motheR into paying ridiculous fees for her home phone. I almost brought them to court ove this, but finally a complaint to the bureau of telecom complaints solved this, but not without a fight.

Can't wait to be with FPL and ditch Bell permanently.


/rant

Once your landline is dead and the number is working on FPL, give a teksavvy a call to set up a dry-loop. In order for Bell to cancel your internet, they need to sent out a tech to pull your line card. Even if they, being as idiots as they are, do it, it will take couple of days, weeks.....so teksavvy will have plenty of time to put an order for dry loop (which is nothing but an extra charge you'll need to pay).

[zombie999]

zombie999 wrote:

Sorry to burst your bubble, porting number out does not cancel the DSL. I did it and that was even before dry loop was available. Once the number is ported, there will be no dial tone but DSL will still work.

So you're telling me, if I port my number to FPL which is VoIP I will still have my DSL internet. Then what about the dry loop? That would mean we woudn't need it and we'd pay for nothing???

Dry loop is just a term that refers to DSL internet without an active phone line. There is nothing to "install" there. All they do is assign you a number for billing purposes.

If you port your number, it will cancel your landline but the internet will still work. For how long, it's questionable but you will have plenty of time to order a dry loop which is nothing but an extra charge. If your DSL is with bell, there is no extra charge for dry-loop.

[laurent]

Well, I called FPL and they can not tell me what is the planned date for phone porting. Weird, because it's someone from FPL that told me to do this.

Anyways, I'll wait until I suddenly have no dial tone one day, and order a dry loop then.

[FONGO_steve]

Well, I called FPL and they can not tell me what is the planned date for phone porting. Weird, because it's someone from FPL that told me to do this.

Anyways, I'll wait until I suddenly have no dial tone one day, and order a dry loop then.

It takes us a week to get a porting date back from the provider, the porting dept will call you when they have this date.
Do you remember who told you we can't tell you?

[laurent]

No sorry, I did not ask for his name. He did, however, talk with a very strong accent, perhaps spanish?

[laurent]

Update: I received an email from FPL a few days ago to tell me that the number porting was approved & ready to be done on Monday the 23rd.

Well, today (20th), what I assume to be a Bell technician that was out of work orders to process on that day decided to get busy with next week's payload, and ported my phone line!

I now have a home phone line with electrical current in it (the Dry Loop), but no dial tone.

My FPL account was updated with my number in it, as was the SIP settings page.

I just changed my ATA parameters for that, and voila, it works! Called my cell, works fine. Cell called home, works fine.

However, I seem to have lost voicemail!

When I dial my own number from the FPL account, or dial *98, I end up with a prompt "Please eneter your account number."

And then if I type my own phone number, it goes "That account does not exist."

When I call from my cell and let it ring, I get the same voice answer (after a long silence), and then proclaim "That account does not exist." and hang up.

Oh well Guess that'll be fixed soon.

[FONGO_steve]

However, I seem to have lost voicemail!
When I dial my own number from the FPL account, or dial *98, I end up with a prompt "Please eneter your account number."
And then if I type my own phone number, it goes "That account does not exist."
When I call from my cell and let it ring, I get the same voice answer (after a long silence), and then proclaim "That account does not exist." and hang up.

Can you send me a PM with your phone number? I'll take a look right away for you!

[laurent]

Update: Voicemail just got fixed. Don't really know what the problem was, but somewhere in the porting, it got nuked!

Works fine now.

On Monday, I called TekSavvy and placed the Dry Loop order.

On Tuesday, they called me back to tell me the Bell super awesome technician will do the job on Friday. The best part is that I have to lose an entire day's worth of salary because I have to stay home for the ENTIRE DAY, from 8am to 5pm, in order to POSSIBLY let the technician into my house. They don't even know if it's required, but I have to be there in case.

Of course, these extremely pleasant Bell technicians cannot call me a few minutes or hours before going to my house. That would be insane, right? so I have to stay home, just in case.

I guess I should bake some cupcakes and make a welcome party for the Bell technician, as that person is so important I would feel obligated to at least have balloons and a cold sixpack on hand.

EVERYBODY calls me before going to my house so that I can drive there and welcome them. Works for washing machine repairmen, chimney sweeper, general contractor, swimming pool repair crew, insurance inspector, furniture dellivery, everybody. Except Bell.

[OverDrive]

what do you expect, it's HELL, i mean bell.

[cu2o2o2]

Update: Voicemail just got fixed. Don't really know what the problem was, but somewhere in the porting, it got nuked!

Works fine now.

On Monday, I called TekSavvy and placed the Dry Loop order.

On Tuesday, they called me back to tell me the Bell super awesome technician will do the job on Friday. The best part is that I have to lose an entire day's worth of salary because I have to stay home for the ENTIRE DAY, from 8am to 5pm, in order to POSSIBLY let the technician into my house. They don't even know if it's required, but I have to be there in case.

Of course, these extremely pleasant Bell technicians cannot call me a few minutes or hours before going to my house. That would be insane, right? so I have to stay home, just in case.

I guess I should bake some cupcakes and make a welcome party for the Bell technician, as that person is so important I would feel obligated to at least have balloons and a cold sixpack on hand.

EVERYBODY calls me before going to my house so that I can drive there and welcome them. Works for washing machine repairmen, chimney sweeper, general contractor, swimming pool repair crew, insurance inspector, furniture dellivery, everybody. Except Bell.

Aren't you glad it is just Hell <cough, cough> Bell? Damn, in my case, even the plumber from Direct energy who needs to fix my rental water heater demanded that I should be home to welcome him when he shows up between 8A.M. and 5P.M..

[laurent]

Aren't you glad it is just Hell <cough, cough> Bell? Damn, in my case, even the plumber from Direct energy who needs to fix my rental water heater demanded that I should be home to welcome him when he shows up between 8A.M. and 5P.M..

Direct energy you say? I hate those guys. I had a bunch of problems with a brand new Samsung washing machine, and these guys were dispatched to "fix it". Oh my.

[curt]

I have a similar situation to OP, but not exactly the same.

I have Bell DSL internet and Bell phone number on same line. I'd like to port the phone number to FPL, but not change nor lose Bell DSL.

If I read the above comments correctly, it sounds like I should do the following:

1. Call FPL to port the number
2. Wait for FPL to notify me that the port is approved
3. Call Bell to put in Dry Loop and to maintain the DSL service over the Dry Loop. (Will Bell need to send technician to do this?) There should be no charge.

Did I get it right? Did I miss anything? Will the above process ensure that the internet service will not be interrupted?

[Jake]

That post was made 4 years ago, and I don't think many of them are still around. I'll try and answer though.

When I was with Bell (number and DSL) I made the move to FPL. I didn't port my number though as I wasn't attached to it, but the action is the same in that you will be cancelling the number. When my number was to be turned off Bell had already switched me to a dry loop (free of charge) and I didn't notice anything.

So just port your number (don't tell Bell as they may stop it), then they will work out your number is being ported, and thus the account is closing, then they should make actions to sort you out a dry loop. I would hold off telling Bell anything as they my cancel your account and the port will fail. It's going to be hit and miss which ever way you do it really, but generally people have said things went well in the end.