I Do NOT Have a Phone Line
If your new residence is already
wired with a traditional copper landline but it isn't in your
name or if you are building new construction, you'll need to
get in touch with the local phone company that serves your new
location.
The traditional local telephone company, also called
the ILEC or Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier, actually owns the
telephone wires that run from the phone office to the grey junction
box on the side of your house. Once service is established and
you start getting bills, you can consider switching to a competitive
carrier if they offer a better deal. But the local phone company
gets first dibs on hooking up new service. Use the Bundled
Local and Long Distance Service Finder to see what is available.
What's It Take to Get New Phone Service?
You can call or visit the phone company that serves the town
or area where your new house or apartment is located.
Procedures vary from office to office,
but in general they will have you fill out a form to establish
new service and pay a deposit in advance. You then set up an
appointment for a telephone company technician to come by and
hook up the service. The process can take 30 to 60 days before
you get a dial tone on your phones, so be sure to get started
well in advance of your move.
If you are simply moving within the same
town and have landline service now, all you have to do is call
the local phone company. Give them the new address and the date
that you will move in.
What Do I Do While I'm Waiting For Service?
How about using your cell phone at home? Just leave it in standby
and you'll get your calls. If your cellphone has speakerphone
capability, you can still have family conference calls.
Perhaps you'll get used to having cellular
as your only phone service. It has the advantage that people
always know what number to call to reach you. Of course, each
family member needs their own phone. Consider a shared minutes
plan. With many of these shared minutes "family" plans,
you get 2 phones with your service... and they are often available
free or at least free after rebate.
Want to find the best deals on cell phone and wireless
service? We have a special online search tool that does just
that. Check out the current specials or search for the phone
and carrier you prefer. You'll be impressed at how little you'll
pay for your new phone.
Check the great cellular phone deals available
now at Cell Phone
Plan Finder.
How About Making Calls on the Internet?
Broadband phone is an exciting
new technology that has become available with high speed Internet
service. You need DSL or Cable Modem service for this to work.
If you don't already have this, check
to see if high speed Internet is available here. Note that
you can get high speed Internet service from your cable company
without subscribing to their TV programming.
Broadband phone shares your high speed
Internet connection with your computer. You sign up with a broadband
phone company and receive an adapter box that plugs into your
router, a box that lets more than one device or computer share
the Internet connection. You plug your regular phone into the
broadband phone adapter. Now you can make and receive calls just
like you would with regular telephone service. You don't need
to leave your computer turned on to use the phone service. It
just shares your broadband connection.
With broadband phone, you can take your
adapter anywhere you have access to a broadband line, such as
a hotel room. Not only will you be able to make calls without
any hotel surcharges, you'll also be able to receive calls just
like you were at home.
Another advantage is that by using Cable
Modem Internet service, you don't need a phone line at all. If
you opt for DSL service, however, it shares your regular phone
line. However, this is a way to get a second or even third phone
service at perhaps lower cost than having the phone company run
more wires and add additional lines, if that is even an available
option.
Would you like to find the best
deals on VoIP broadband phone service right now? It only
takes a few seconds and you'll see a list organized with the
best deal right at the top of the page. Go ahead and give it
a try. You can place your order right online whenever you are
ready.
What About Triple-Play Bundles
The latest way to bundle services sounds like something from
a baseball game. It's called triple play. The 3 services involved
in the triple are telephone, broadband Internet, and television.
Check the latest triple-play
bundle deals for your location.
I already have a
telephone line