Switching phones

Here's some advice on taking advantage of the new phone number "portability" rules that will allow you to keep your familiar phone number if you change from a home phone to a wireless or from one wireless company to another. The new rules take effect in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area and other major cities on Nov. 24. In less urban areas, portability won't go into effect until May 24:

- Wait a while. Nobody knows how many Americans will rush to change phone providers or how many glitches will pop up, so some experts suggest waiting a few weeks for initial problems to be resolved.

- Make sure you can switch. Only numbers in a specific geographic area can be kept. For example, if you're moving from Tampa to New York, you won't be able to keep your Tampa number.

- Don't start by canceling. Your phone number will disappear if you cancel existing phone service before signing up with a new provider. Instead, bring in your old bill and let your new cell phone company arrange the switch.

- Don't run out on your contract. Many wireless customers have one- or two-year contracts with penalties of $150 or more for quitting early. Check on when your contract ends before switching providers - unless a new provider offers to pay the penalty to win your business.

- Be prepared to deal. Study your phone bills and consider carefully what would be the best deal for you. Considerations range from how many hundreds of minutes you'll use each month to whether you frequently "roam" outside your home area. Unless you're really fed up with your current wireless provider, you might call and say you're thinking of quitting. Better deals are often dangled to keep customers from defecting.

- Consider the tradeoffs. Even if you can keep your phone number, changing providers won't be painless. You'll probably have to buy a new phone. Your new wireless company may offer a free phone, but usually only if you sign a new contract for a year or more. And there's no avoiding the most painful ritual of all for those who change cell phones: pecking away at the keypad of your new cell phone to type in all the numbers in your cellular address book.

- If there's a problem, the Florida Division of Consumer Services is prepared to help consumers. Its number is 800 435-7352, and its Web site is www.800helpfla.com

- Sources: New York Times, Smart Money magazine, Times staff

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