When someone changes their phone service provider, they will often want to take their existing telephone numbers with them. This process is known within the telecoms industry as Number Porting.
Number Porting works through a series of agreements to port numbers between two providers efficiently from one to the other as either the gaining or losing provider.
Number porting an Irish number between providers can be very straightforward and follows a standard process. This process starts with completing a Number Porting Form, this document confirms exactly what numbers you wish to migrate along with a few important details needed, that we will explore in this post, to make sure this is done as quickly as possible.
What information do I need to provide for a successful number port?
LOA (Letter of Authorization)
LOA signed by the authorized user and/or owner of the number(s). Note that the information on your LOA must match the authorized username and service address provided by your current provider You can find the LOA required for the Irish numbers below.
Proof of Ownership for Number Porting
We require a copy of a recent invoice as proof of ownership over a number is required before our porting department can request to take over numbers.
UAN (Universal Account Number)
A UAN is an 8-digit number that allows customers to transfer numbers between providers. When submitting a port request, you will need to advise on a UAN for each number/range of numbers you wish to port. The UAN should be provided on your bill, however we’ve found in some cases, the UAN provided on your bill can turn out to be incorrect. This is not uncommon, and it’s nothing to worry about. However, there will be a delay until the correct UAN has been identified by your current provider.
Orders on the Line
If there is an order in progress on your account and it will need to be cleared before a port request is accepted. If a port request is rejected due to a pending order on the line, the account holder will need to follow up with the current provider who should provide a timeframe for a resolution. When the pending order is removed the port can then be requested again.
Other services on the line
Something to take note when porting, when a number is ported, the physical line is ceased. This means that if you have any services on the line, these services will cease when you port this number. Additional line-dependent services can include broadband, credit card machines, alarm, or lifts.
If you have a broadband line connected to a number that you wish to port, you will need to ensure that this is separated before you try to port. This is so that your broadband connection is not affected by the port.
What happens to my number when the port is submitted?
Your number will stay on your old network and continue to work until it’s ported over to byphone. Mirror your number while you wait on the port allowing you to use byphone instantly to make outbound calls from your current number whilst you wait for your number to port into us. Forward inbound calls into byphone (we will supply a temporary number to divert into) until the port completes, as far as your customers are concerned, they still just ring your current number.
The porting process
- Submit your Porting request, with all requirements in place, to orders@byphone.co.uk . The porting form is reviewed by our porting team within 24 hours.
- The number port is submitted to our carrier, this can take up to 24 hours. Your request is then submitted to your soon-to-be former carrier as a port request. During this time, do not close your account with your carrier and keep your numbers active.
- Byphone’s Carrier reaches out to the Losing Carrier. This can take around one week to complete.
- Response from the carrier. At this point, your request will either be approved or rejected:
- Approved: If approved, you will receive a porting date of when your number will be ported to byphone.
- Rejected: Rejections can occur for a variety of reasons, such as incorrect UAN or invalid/incomplete range of numbers. You will likely need to reach out to your losing carrier to find out what’s needed to move forward. Once resolved, the port is resubmitted.
- byphone will send you an email of your porting date for when your number will be transferred across.
