After arriving in Norway, you’ll quickly find out that you’ll need a new local mobile number with a Norwegian provider, not only for ease of receiving phone calls but also to access various financial and government systems using BankID. So, the question will quickly come up: What to do with your old number?
It’s likely and recommended to retain access to your old number so contacts can keep in touch and you can continue using it for internet services that require it for authentication, (aka 2FA or two-factor authentication). If you disable your old phone number, you may find it’s difficult to log in to some of your favorite online services.
The simplest solution for continuing to receive both text messages and voicemails is to use Google Voice. This service, offered free by Google, is what might be called a virtual phone number. It allows you to access these messages from anywhere with an internet connection, regardless of who provides your mobile phone connection. It’s all done with the Google Voice app.
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