Phone Cell Switching Carriers People Company Money Paid

In the United States, people can "switch" (begin working with a different company) their cell phone carrier at any time, but there may be "penalties" (money that must be paid as a punishment for or consequence of doing something). Most individuals have a "contract" (legal agreement) with their cell phone provider, and that contract may have a "duration" (length in time) of one or two years. Individuals who want to switch carriers before the "term" (length of time) of their contract has ended may need to pay an "early termination" (ending sooner than expected) "fee" (money paid to a company) which may be a few hundred dollars.

When people switch carriers, their phone number is "portable" (able to be moved or transferred). This means that they don't have to change their telephone number. However, that rule "applies" (is applicable or relevant) only if they "remain" (stay) in the same geographic area. If they move to an area far away, they may not be able to continue to use the same number, although this usually is not a problem.

Switching a "SIM card" (subscriber identity module; a memory chip used in phones) can be more difficult. Some phone companies' SIM cards cannot be switched when a user switches carriers. This means that the data stored on the SIM card, such as phone numbers and text messages, might need to be "exported" (sent to another computer program) or retyped "manually" (by hand; without help from a machine). Carriers know that this is a strong "incentive" (motivation; desire to do something) for users to "stick to" (continue to use; not change from) a single carrier.