Can you choose your own mobile number?

Werdnal

May be a daft question, but I am about to change PAYG networks from Orange to Tesco - we live in a poor coverage area and cannot get a reliable signal with Orange (or indeed many other providers), but hubby just changed to Tesco and his mobile now works at home :j, so I am planning to do same.

He migrated his number as its an easy to remember one and he didn't want to change it. My number is awful - several 5's in it and I can never remember how many when giving it to anyone - just does my head in and I get a mental block!

So I'm happy to change mine, however, if I get a Tesco SIM, I would have to take the number given - the packs are sealed and number on the inside so I cannot check to see if it would be any better! Can you "buy" mobile numbers or is there somewhere you can pick unallocated numbers to use?

Thanks in advance.

Buzby

The number will be either pre-allocated with the SIM, or be provided on activation. Years ago you could rummage around to find a decent number by looking at the SIM label, but dealers were prone to looking out the good combinations and then selling these 'gold' numbers at a premium, and the networks disliked this.

Unless you port a number you have, it's going to be Russian Roulette as to wether you like what you've been given!

Jon_01

The guys at Orange payg can change your number, there's an option on the main screen to sort through the numbers available. The problems is, not many of them know its there or how to make it work.

If you could find someone that knows, you could change it for something more memorable and then port it out later. . .

grumbler

Jon_01 wrote: »

The guys at Orange payg can change your number, there's an option on the main screen to sort through the numbers available. The problems is, not many of them know its there or how to make it work.

If you could find someone that knows, you could change it for something more memorable and then port it out later. . .

Good numbers are not free and are reserved for pay monthly customers only: http://www2.orange.co.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=OUKPersonal&c=OUKService&cid=1096023564373

Jon_01

grumbler wrote: »

Good numbers are not free and are reserved for pay monthly customers only: http://www2.orange.co.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=OUKPersonal&c=OUKService&cid=1096023564373

Technically, yes they are. But if the numbers been on payg for whatever reason and has then been released it'll go into the payg hold pot for 6 months before it can be reissued.

If you can find someone that knows their way around the payg system they can find good numbers that are just about to become available again before they pop up and get reassigned into pay monthly. . .

ioscorpio

You can choose your own number with familymobile (Ikea) then port it out.

http://www.familymobile.co.uk/

columbiana

When I got my Vodafone contract the store had a list of numbers to choose from, not sure about tesco though...

mchale

Have a look on ebay, loads of numbers for sale, depending how much you want to pay.

OldGreyFox

If your near a Tesco Mobile Shop. You can go and have a look at the cheapo payg phones in the plastic secure boxes and see the numbers.

Sophie1973

You could try directly with O2. Tesco only sells the phones and airtime and they don't have a network meaning your signal at home will be using the O2 network anyway which is who Tesco use. You may have more choice directly with the network.