Getting a local Google Voice number

Today Google announced a pretty cool new feature to Google Voice; more on that later. Have you recently tried to get a local Google Voice number? I live in the Seattle area and I have tried to get a Google Voice number with an area code in WA state for the last 3 months and they never have any available. I've even tried numbers for Oregon and California. The closest I have found was Chicago. So while Google Voice does have number available somewhere, they don't have any in my local area. As of today, Google Voice now has a solution for getting a local number. It will cost you about $30 to make it happen, but no ongoing fees after that.

As of today, Google Voice now allows "porting" of phone numbers to Google Voice from US mobile phone service providers like T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and others. So, since Google doesn't have local numbers available, go to your mobile phone service provider. If you are with T-Mobile or AT&T, this will be an easy process since their services use SIM cards. With Verizon and Sprint, this plan may be more difficult. If you have T-Mobile or AT&T and are on a "family" plan, go down to one of their stores and request to activate another line on your family plan. You don't need a phone, just ask them to activate another SIM card on your account. T-Mobile and AT&T shouldn't charge you an activation fee for just adding a SIM card to the account, but they will charge you $10 a month for the service.

Once you have that SIM card activated with a phone number, go to Google Voice and have them "port" that phone number over to Google Voice. Google will charge you $20 for the port. Once the number is ported over, you will now have a local Google Voice number and that additional SIM card number on your mobile phone family account will be canceled. So the $20 to Google and $10 to your mobile phone service provider equals the $30. Google Voice from then on is a free service.