Wireless Firms Charge to Keep Numbers

U.S. cell phone users may be happy to take their telephone numbers with them when they switch wireless service providers, but they may not be as pleased to see the service charges tacked onto their bills to pay for the convenience.

Some of the largest wireless companies are charging a monthly fee of $1.50 to $1.75 for implementation of new federal requirements that include use of the same number with a different carrier.

Sprint PCS was the latest wireless operator to alert customers last month to a monthly fee of $1.50 -- 40 cents for 911 and $1.10 for number portability and pooling.