Can I Port a POTS line to Google Voice?

January 28, 2011 8:56 AM

I know I can port a cell number to Google Voice, but can I port a POTS line to Google Voice?

The official Google Voice blog refers specifically to "Port your existing mobile phone number". Does that mean I cannot port a landline? Has anyone tried to port a landline? Did it work?

posted by AugustWest to Technology (8 answers total)

All of the sources I've seen indicate that you can't port a landline directly to Google Voice. However, I've heard of people porting their landlines to their cell phones. Could you switch your landline to your cell and then that cell to GV?
posted by decathecting at 9:01 AM on January 28, 2011

I ported a landline to Vonage before. It's probably the same deal, but it took forever for Verizon to do it.
posted by orme at 9:01 AM on January 28, 2011

It looks like they're restricting it to mobile numbers for the time being. I tried to port a Vonage number, and it came back and told me I couldn't do so at this time.
posted by nonliteral at 9:16 AM on January 28, 2011

Response by poster: decathecting: "All of the sources I've seen indicate that you can't port a landline directly to Google Voice. However, I've heard of people porting their landlines to their cell phones. Could you switch your landline to your cell and then that cell to GV"

This is a good idea except that I want to keep my cell number, so I don't have a cell to port the POTS line to. But as the Slate article linked to by Dasein points out, even if I was willing to kick my cell number, when I did, it would appear to my carrier that I was terminating early. He had quite the process doing it with just an outbound number. For me to have to do it twice, inbound and then outbound, well, I can wait.
posted by AugustWest at 10:16 AM on January 28, 2011

If it is indeed possible to port your landline number to a cell phone (big if, and I don't know) you could buy a cheapo prepaid phone, port your landline to that, then port it to google voice.
posted by mskyle at 11:07 AM on January 28, 2011

Yeah I woud suggest what mskyle recommended. I know thatGoogle Voice numbers are treated as landlines. This is because I tried to sign up for mobile Amber Alerts with my GV number and was denied. I asked in Google's help forum and they said Google's numbers are not mobile, they're landline.
posted by IndigoRain at 5:20 PM on January 28, 2011

Response by poster: IndigoRain: "Yeah I woud suggest what mskyle recommended. I know thatGoogle Voice numbers are treated as landlines. This is because I tried to sign up for mobile Amber Alerts with my GV number and was denied. I asked in Google's help forum and they said Google's numbers are not mobile, they're landline"

If this is true that a GV number is considered a landline, and I have no reason not to believe it is, can't I port a landline directly to a landline? That is one of the basic ports you can do. From day one.
posted by AugustWest at 9:13 PM on January 28, 2011

Response by poster: I guess this is resolved in that you are not able to port a POTS line to GV "at this time". Maybe one day soon! Thanks for all the help y'all.
posted by AugustWest at 9:18 PM on February 27, 2011