Terrible article, really awful. It simply isn't factual. You can't compare a mobile number to email, they aren't even the same type of thing. My mobile number

Terrible article, really awful. It simply isn't factual. You can't compare a mobile number to email, they aren't even the same type of thing. My mobile number, I can port it between different service providers, and use it on any device I want. My gmail/hotmail/yahoo account, I can never move away from the company that gave it to me. carrier lock-in - your phone number is a set of handcuffs that prevents you from easily jumping ship, and they know it Not at all. Carriers would make more money if they let me spend money with them on more than one device at once (e.g. through a desktop app), the reason they don't do it is because the amount it would cost to set that up is not (in their opinion) worth the returns it will bring. And it isn't even a carrier lock-in, I can port my number to another carrier any time I wish. Sure, if I have a contract then I may have to pay to cancel it, but then if I have a contract to pay for an email service for a year then the same applies there - and it's perfectly possible to have a phone number without a contract.