> The advantage is that I am now not tied to any one mobile provider - if I decide to switch providers, I just hop online and redirect Voice to a new phone number, without having to tell anyone that I've made a change all my calls and texts still find their way to me.<p>We have that now, without Voice. I'm on my third provider and same number, and I don't believe I was ever charged to port. If you're switching providers anyway, they're happy to get you and they'll port free.<p>The author's specific scenario (abroad, US number) may be worth it for the author. But the lack of support he also mentions gives me great pause; the Google black monolith of support is well known.