So, some of our Boomers may recall
a time, when Telstra (~the only game in town) would actually install & enable an Incoming-ONLY landline (called "In Contact") service in any home, that had No paid landline service… all Cost-Free.
(Beyond 000 calls [&, maybe, 1800 #'s], the only calls you could make were to Telstra… No other telco's, if any existed…)
(Dunno if they'd run & wire-up a new phone line., eg, to a Newly Built home… but that's not my point, today).
Anyway, this provided a way to keep in touch w/ kids, who'd left the nest, seniors who didn't want to leave theirs, even squatters (I suppose), etc.
In a recent post, I asked for leads to cheap ways to "park" a mobile no. (as a Boost service was approaching the end of its 1-year "PrePay" service). Thanks for all the leads, Brain-Trust… ;~)
There's one "workaround" (ie, "In Service" like arrangement) that I'd forgotten, that seems to work, for [pre-paid] mobile services, that are past their last
charge cycle.
Like "In Service" it only provides Incom-
ing phone [+SMS] service, apparently, as
part of the "grace period" that telco's
may (FAIK) be required to give, to preclude
your last Telco from grabbing your "nice"
number, to sell to someone else.
I wouldn't advise taking it "too close" to
the end of the 6-month grace period, but
- IF COVID' has cut your income - it may
help you to use it (carefully), now+then.
To apply the workaround - at your own
risk - simply don't charge your last pre-
paid service or port out your number to
any new service.
I was advised, that you can depend on
your telco:
Not to cut your Incoming Call + SMS services (dunno about MMS… Do you?) &
Not to allocate your phone # to another.
Note: YMMV. Mine did:
Telstra "stole" my (so called) "Premium" number, after REFUSING to allow it to be used on the "Sacred" Telstra network (!), eg, on a cost-effective BOOST prepaid plan (ie, the one with Unlimited INTERNATIONAL calls + messages to 25 other lands)
(No one could ring us, & we had No "Message Bank" style service
You were limited to a costly (for same services) Post-Paid contract
- Telstra's silly "logic" being: "A costly Volvo should pay more to use their toll-road, than a cheaper, used car would, for the same trip"
A: Telstra didn’t “steal” anything, you relinquished it by not paying. They would have given you something like 3 to 6 months to top up, and you didn’t.
B: if you are not paying for a service, why should they give you message bank? They are not a free call minding service.
C: your silly logic is to expect something for nothing. And their toll system does work. The guy that drives the big B-Double freight truck (ie: heavy phone user) pays more than the guy in the Toyota Yaris (ie: light phone user)
You can literally park your phone number for about $15 a year With Aldi and get all the incoming calls and messages. That’s literally 4¢/day. Or about 3 coffees less per year. And I am sure that it you looked around hard enough, you may find other telcos who have a 365 day plan even cheaper.