To switch cell phone provider after ClearTalk, start with the carrier that holds your number today, not ClearTalk. ClearTalk discontinued service on March 16, 2018, and moved its customers to Boost Mobile. If your old ClearTalk number still works, ask that carrier for your account number and transfer PIN, then give both to the new carrier.
Best Cellular is not a phone company. It sells no service, plans, SIM cards or phones. BestCellular.com is a free reference for account numbers, transfer PINs and port-out steps for every US carrier.
What happened to ClearTalk
ClearTalk was the brand of Flat Wireless, a small carrier with its own CDMA network in parts of Texas, California and Arizona. Wave7 Research put the end of service at March 16, 2018. Fierce reported on April 6, 2018 that Flat Wireless was shutting its network down, moving customers to Boost Mobile and turning ClearTalk stores into Boost Mobile stores.
The full history, with sources, is on the ClearTalk page.
How to switch cell phone provider in 3 steps
- Find who holds your number now. Look at the bill you pay today. If you moved to Boost Mobile in 2018 and never left, Boost holds the number. If you switched again since then, the carrier on your current bill holds it. If the line went dead in 2018 and was never moved, the number was likely released and there is nothing to port.
- Get your account number and transfer PIN. Ask the carrier that holds the number, not ClearTalk. The transfer PIN lookup shows where each carrier keeps both values. Boost Mobile has its own page: Boost Mobile account number and PIN.
- Start the port at the new carrier. Give the new carrier your account number, transfer PIN and billing ZIP code. Keep the old line active until the new carrier confirms the move. Cancelling first can release the number.
Before you switch cell phone provider: check the phone
ClearTalk ran a CDMA network, and CDMA networks in the US have been shut down. A phone built only for ClearTalk’s network will not work today. A newer phone you bought from Boost may work elsewhere if it is unlocked and supports the new carrier’s network. Run the IMEI through the device check first.
Coverage follows the network, not the brand on the bill. Boost Mobile runs primarily on AT&T. The coverage map by carrier shows which network any brand uses, so you can check the right official map for your address.
Your right to keep your number
Federal rules let you keep your phone number when you switch cell phone provider in the same area, as long as the line is active. The FCC explains the rules in Porting: Keeping Your Phone Number When You Change Providers. In 2009 the FCC set one business day as the standard for simple ports (FCC 09-41).
For a step-by-step guide that covers every carrier, see how to switch cell phone carriers.
Questions former ClearTalk customers ask
Is ClearTalk still in business?
No. ClearTalk discontinued service on March 16, 2018, according to Wave7 Research as reported by Fierce.
Where did ClearTalk customers go?
Flat Wireless moved them to Boost Mobile and converted ClearTalk stores into Boost Mobile stores.
Can I still use my old ClearTalk phone?
Not on ClearTalk’s network, which is gone. A CDMA-only phone will not work on today’s networks. Check any other phone with the device check before you switch.
Can I keep my old ClearTalk number?
Only if it moved to another carrier before service ended and is still active. Port it from the carrier that holds it now, using that carrier’s account number and transfer PIN.
Can Best Cellular activate my phone?
No. Best Cellular is not a carrier and does not activate phones or sell service. It shows you where to get the account number and transfer PIN your new carrier needs.