How Do You Get Rid of Landline but Keep Number?

Transferring your home number to a cell phone saves cost, adds mobility, and simplifies communication by letting you manage one device. It also ensures continuity with your existing contacts while offering advanced features like voicemail, call forwarding, and text messaging.

1. Cost Savings: Eliminating a landline helps you cut monthly bills while still keeping your existing number active on a cell phone.
2. Mobility and Flexibility: You can take your number anywhere, making it easier to stay connected whether you’re at home, work, or on the move.
3. Convenience: Carrying one device instead of managing both a landline and a mobile phone simplifies communication.
4. Continuity: Keeping the same number avoids the hassle of updating contacts, ensuring friends, family, or clients can still reach you.
5. Advanced Features: Transferring your landline number to your cell phone offers features like advanced voicemail, call forwarding, and text messaging that landlines don’t provide.

You can get rid of your landline while keeping your phone number by using number porting or call forwarding. Number porting allows you to transfer your landline number to a mobile carrier or VoIP service, while call forwarding redirects calls from your landline to your cell phone.

Call forwarding lets you keep your landline number without moving it to another service. Instead, all calls made to your landline are automatically redirected to your mobile phone or another number of your choice. This option is quick to set up and doesn’t require changing providers.

However, you’ll usually still need to keep your landline service active, which means you may continue paying for it. It’s a good short-term solution, but not cost-effective in the long run.

Here are the steps to forward calls from a landline to a cell phone:

1. Pick up your landline phone and dial *72. Wait until you hear a dial tone.
2. Enter the 10-digit phone number (the cell phone you want calls forwarded to).
3. Either press the # key or simply wait until you hear a confirmation tone or voice message.
4. Once you hear confirmation, hang up.

Number porting is the most reliable long-term solution to keep your landline number without maintaining a traditional phone line. It lets you permanently transfer your landline number to a mobile carrier or VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service. Once the transfer is complete, you can cancel the landline while keeping the same number active.

Porting Landline Number to a Mobile Carrier

Porting your landline number to a mobile carrier means transferring your existing number to your mobile phone. It allows you to use your landline number as your mobile number, giving you the freedom to make and receive calls from anywhere.

While porting to a mobile carrier allows you to get rid of landlines, compatibility issues, and potential service disruptions limit it during the transition.

Challenges:

1. Service Disruption: There might be a brief period when your number is temporarily unavailable during the porting process.
2. Carrier Compatibility: Not all landline numbers can be ported to all mobile carriers, so you must check with your carrier first.
3. Costs: Some carriers may charge a fee for porting your number.

Here are the steps to port your landline number to a mobile carrier:

1. Check portability: Confirm your landline number can be transferred to a mobile carrier.
2. Verify ownership: Ensure you’re the account holder or authorized user.
3. Choose a carrier: Pick a provider that supports landline-to-mobile porting.
4. Notify your current provider: Inform them to avoid billing or service issues.
5. Submit documents: Provide your bill, account number, PIN (Personal Identification Number), LOA (Letter of Authorization), or CSR (Customer Service Record).
6. Wait for activation: The process usually takes 3–7 business days. So, keep your landline active until complete.
7. Cancel landline: Once the number works on your mobile, close your landline account.

Switching to VoIP Phone Service

Another effective solution is transferring your landline number to a cloud-based phone system. With VoIP, your number works over the internet instead of traditional phone lines, making it a flexible choice for both individuals and businesses. It provides additional features that traditional phone services don’t offer.

Benefits:

1. Advanced Features: VoIP services often include features like voicemail-to-email, call recording, power dialer, call transcription and more.
2. Cost-Effective: VoIP services typically have lower costs than traditional phone lines. It allows you to make long-distance and international calls at local rates.
3. Flexibility: You can access your calls and SMS on multiple devices, including smartphones, computers, and tablets.

Popular VoIP providers like Calilio, Google Voice, Ooma, and Vonage allow you to port your landline number and enjoy a more modern communication setup.
 

Here’s how you can port your landline number to Calilio and eliminate your landline phone:

1. Sign up and create an account on Calilio.
2. Go to Settings> My Numbers> Port Existing.
3. Enter your landline number and provide the necessary information from your current provider.
4. Upload your recent phone bill, LOA, and CSR to verify your ownership of the number.
5. Submit your porting request and wait for confirmation from Calilio. This process usually takes 2 to 4 weeks.

Note: The porting process usually takes 2 to 4 weeks.

When porting your landline number, keep your service active, confirm eligibility, and prepare accurate documents to avoid delays or rejections. Also, check for fees, understand the timeline, and choose the right service based on your communication needs.

1. Don’t Cancel Your Service First: Your landline must stay active during the porting process. If you cancel too early, your provider may release the number, and you could lose it permanently.
2. Check Porting Eligibility: Not all numbers can be ported to every provider. Confirm with your new carrier that your number is eligible before starting the process.
3. Gather the Required Documents: Most carriers and VoIP providers will ask for proof of ownership. This may include your latest phone bill, LOA and CSR. Ensure these documents are up to date.
4. Have Accurate Account Information: Incorrect details are the most common cause of delays. Ensure your account number, PIN, billing address, and account holder’s name match exactly with your current provider’s records. Having accurate documentation helps prevent number porting issues.
5. Check for Fees and Contracts: Some providers charge porting fees, while others may apply early termination fees if you’re still under contract. Ask both your current and new provider upfront to avoid unexpected costs.
6. Understand the Timeline: Porting can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on whether you’re moving to a mobile carrier or a VoIP service.
7. Expect Possible Downtime: While rare, there may be a short period when your number isn’t fully active during the switch.
8. Evaluate Your New Service Need: Decide whether you want to move your number to a mobile plan or a VoIP service. Mobile is straightforward, while VoIP offers advanced features like voicemail-to-email, call recording, and multi-device access.

Getting rid of your landline while keeping your number is a straightforward process when approached correctly. By porting your number to a mobile carrier or a VoIP service, or even enabling call forwarding to your mobile, you can continue using your existing number without the need for a traditional landline. This shift can help streamline your communication, cut costs, and improve flexibility.