how long for old cell phone numbers to re-circulate?

[Scott Kevin]

If I were to not pay my bill, cancel, etc. then how long would it be before the phone company could give that number to a new customer? Is there a waiting period?

[Billyp]

I am guessing that you have a contract? I get pay as you go and you get a message when you top up on when the credit will cease if not used.

I don't think that an unused number would be re issued immediately necessarily. When you consider the numerical possibilities of say a lottery number and the frequency that the same set of numbers would be winners again. If you consider this then the likelihood of a number with a greater amount of digits than a lottery is less likely to be needed.

I hope that I am not complicating things it's just that no telephone company in the world is anywhere near to using up more than a fraction if its numbers.

[Scott Kevin]

I use pay as you go also...I'm checking up on a story.

 

It has happened to me once in the past. A girl I liked stopped working at a bar and when I called her I would get a message saying that the number wasn't available. A few months later I decided to try her again and a very different voice answered and said that she didn't know the person I was calling and it was a new number.

[Para]

I had a 1-2-Call number for a TG but hadn't called her for about 3 months. Needed to talk so called and ended up talking to a LB in BKK who said she had just got the number. Thats a fast turn around.

 

Depending on how long you have had your number for it could remain valid for 1 year. You can extend the validity of the number through the web site.

 

I heard the government was pushing the airtime providers not to allow the numbers to expire. Quite how that would work in the long run I have no idea....

[HappyHour1973]

I think those 1-2-Call numbers get re-circulated really, really fast

 

I noticed some friends with those numbers that automatically appear on that whatsapp and they leave Thailand and take their SIM out and obviously that number stays in whatsapp and it's clearly someone else with it putting their own profile thingy on there. Very quick indeed

[Scott Kevin]

Interesting. How fast are you talking about...a week? 2? a month?

[hetepatat]

For DTAC , this is the most complete information I found :

 

SIM Card Validity

 

For new and existing Happy cutomers.

 

 

 

For Happy prepaid customers, in order to make your experience with us super happy, we have prepared some useful information as follows:

 

Prior to calling balance expiration

You can outgoing and receive incoming calls normally according to the ramaining account balance and validity period.

The system will send a warning SMS 1 day prior to calling balance expiration.

 

Within 45 days after balance expiration

Within temporary 30 day account suspension : Day 1 t0 30 after the balance expiration The system will send an SMS the first day after calling balance expiration.

Users can receive calls, but not make any avoice calls,

If the account is topped up during this period, the system will automatically credit the account balance and restore normal use privileges.

 

 

The 15 day account suspension : Day 31- 45 after the balance expiration The system will send an SMS the first day after account is suspended.

Users can neither receive or make outgoing calls,

Any remaining balance will automatically be forfeited, and the account balance will be reset to 0.00 baht since the first day of suspension.

 

 

Cancellation of your account

 

After the initial 45 day period, following the expiration of a user’s account balance, the number will no longer be valid and will be cancelled from the system. If a user wishes to continue using Happy service, we recommend you purchase a new SIM card.

 

Remarks: Warning and conditions are subject to change.

Users should make sure to top up their account prior to calling balance expiration.

 

 

Special Offer Happy proudly presents this special offer, allowing users to continue to receive calls during 15 day account suspension period. Offer good through 31 December 2012, and subject to terms and conditions of existing promotion package.

 

 

 

Temporary 30 day suspension period

Receive incoming calls, but outgoing calls suspended

Top up and check balance

Remaining balance is activated when account is topped up

 

15 Day suspension period

Incoming and outgoing calls suspended

Top up and check balance

Remaining balance is forfeited

 

After account is permanently suspended

Purchase New SIM

 

Edit : maybe interpreted your question wrongly. Sorry in that case.

[Feileacan]

It would really depend on how many numbers they have in their pool. If numbers are scarce, then they will be recycled quicker. Where I come from, it is generally 6 months before numbers are recycled for re-use.

[Scott Kevin]

Thanks for the info hetepatat.

 

I called an old gik and then maybe 60-90 days later called her again and talked to a pissed off Thai guy who wanted to know why I was calling his wife. About a month later she called me from a new number and when I asked about the husband she said she got rid of the number a long time ago and it was someone else that I called. Unfortunately, during the conversation with the husband, neither of us said the girls name so it's at least possible that her story was true but it seems to me that the turnaround time was too quick.

 

She changed bars often and would usually change her number each time because she got sick of old bosses, mamasans, and coworkers calling to ask her to come back....at least that's the story she told me!

[hetepatat]

You would really need an insider in DTAC or AIS to tell you how fast they recycle the numbers.

 

In my country, it is never done faster than 6 months before going out of use / deactivation.

In real life it sometimes takes 2 years for a subscription number (postpaid) to be recycled.

For prepaid they recycle faster. Less chance on company intensive use...

 

I assume that the tourist sims are recycled for the number faster. The purpose of it is to

be used by tourists for a limited time.

THat's also why they are not prolongued for a long time when doing a reload.

Most reloads only give 30 days extra usage, i think...

 

In the above info, you can already see that you can keep your number during the 45 days after

validity end date. But after every reload the validity is extended too : you get extra days, 30 for most reloads.

Only after that, the 45 days start.

I guess that then they still have to re-assign the number, print the packs, send them to stores

and sell them. I would at LEAST add 30 days for that. (45 + 30 =75 days)

The operators i know re-assign numbers in a large amount at once, maybe a few times a year.

But it can be different in LOS... Up to them :-)

 

Your story about the husband : i would think the chance is very big that the simcard was still

being used.. Not re-distributed number.

We calculated minimum 75 days, and these days start after the normal sim validity.

The girl is likely to change her number when things in her life change, not when the validity of the card is at an end.

Also considering the girl would probably not buy TOURIST SIM, the time to have the number recycled would

likely be longer.

 

Hope i didn't overcomplicate too much on this subject :-)