Google officially launches number porting for Voice

You are now free to give out your main phone number. Why? Because whether its for business, pleasure or total strangers, you will now be able to use Google Voice to screen every and any call you want. It's been a long time in coming but the ability to move you main cell phone number to your Google Voice account is finally here.

The service will cost $20 on Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) end with other costs being incurred as you negotiate your number away from your carrier. Some users will have to cancel their cell phone contracts and port their number's to Google and may incur a pricey 'early termination' fee. Others might be able to work with their carrier to select a new mobile phone number and port their number over to Google Voice without such fees. With your main phone number being your Google Voice line, calls can be directed back to your mobile phone, desk phone or home phone, answered from your Gmail inbox and screened with visual voicemail right in your email.

Last week, Google did a test run letting the number porting pages go live and got everyone excited in the process. Then, they quickly took the ability down leaving us to wonder when and if the feature would become a reality. This week, Google revealed that they had been testing the feature for the launch this week.

For more:
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