Porting numbers without losing calls

Two different processes

Local numbers are moved by number porting: the new carrier asks the old carrier to release the number, and the number switches over on an agreed date. Federal rules on local number portability let a customer keep a number when changing providers within the same area. See number porting.

Toll-free numbers are not ported in the same way. They are controlled by a Responsible Organization, and a move happens by changing the RespOrg on the number’s record in the national toll-free registry. The new provider’s RespOrg needs your authorization, typically a signed Letter of Authorization, and the current RespOrg must release the number. See RespOrg.

The local porting steps

1. Gather the account details. The old carrier matches the request against the account record, called the customer service record or CSR. The name, service address, account number and any PIN must match exactly. Mismatches are the most common reason a request is rejected. Ask your current carrier for a copy of the CSR.
2. Sign a Letter of Authorization (LOA). It proves you are allowed to move the number. It lists the numbers and the account holder’s details.
3. The new carrier submits the request. FCC rules set standard data fields for the request and set a response interval: the losing carrier must answer with a confirmation or a rejection within a short set of business hours.
4. The firm order commitment (FOC) date. The FOC confirms the date the number will move. Everything else should be ready before then.
5. Activation. On the FOC date the number begins ringing on the new carrier. Simple ports between wireline carriers have a one-business-day standard interval; more complex ports, such as those with many numbers, take longer.

How to avoid dropped calls

• Do not cancel the old service first. Cancelling before the port completes can lose the number. Cancel only once the number is live on the new carrier.
• Set the destination before the FOC date. The number should ring somewhere useful the moment it moves. Configure the new carrier’s routing first, then test it.
• Choose a quiet day. Avoid the days before deadlines. For an ACA agency, that means staying away from the weeks around December 15 and January 15. See the open enrollment plan.
• Port in groups. Move one low-risk number first as a rehearsal, confirm it works, then move the rest.
• Keep an early-warning check. After activation, place test calls from a mobile phone and from a landline, and review your call log for the next several days to confirm calls are arriving.
• Watch for stray services. Fax, alarm and directory listings on the same number may stop working when it moves; check them before the date.
• Keep the old account details. If the request is rejected, you need the exact record to correct it.

For toll-free numbers, the same principles apply: have the new provider’s routing ready before the RespOrg change takes effect, and do not close the old account until calls are confirmed on the new one.

What VereTel offers

VereTel does not offer number porting at launch. That includes bringing an existing local or toll-free number to VereTel. VereTel buys the tracking numbers you use on its own carrier account. If your plans depend on keeping a number you already own, ask us about your plans before you choose a plan: contact us.

In most cases you do not need to port anything to track calls. You can keep your main published number where it is and forward to it from new tracking numbers; see call forwarding and toll-free vs local numbers.