Are you looking to port your business number to a new supplier? Are you moving premises and want to keep your number? Well this business number porting guide is exactly what you need.
In this guide we will go through what number porting is and the steps you need to take to port your number. We will also explain how you can port your landline number to our phone system for free.
What is number porting?
Number porting is the process of moving a phone number (such as your businesses phone number) from one provider to another.
You may have ported a number before without realising it when moving provider for your mobile phone contract. We also have a guide to switching mobile phone suppliers by text.
Reasons why you may consider porting a number:
- Moving premises,
- Changing supplier,
- Upgrading to a different service such as VoIP.
How to port your business phone number to a new provider
The below guide will show you the steps you will and should take when porting your business number.
- Check your contract
First, you need to check with your current provider that you are out of contract. Porting your number while in contract may result in early termination charges from your current provider.
This will also be a good time to let your current supplier know of your intentions to port your number away (optional).
Please do not cancel your contract before the number port is complete. This could result in your number being lost. - Contact your new provider
Next, you want to get in touch with your new provider ideally with a copy of your latest bill. Then they will discuss with you which phone numbers you would like to be transferred.
Depending on your new provider, they may not be able to port all types of numbers. For instance, some suppliers may not support non-geographic or premium rate numbers. - Fill in a Number Porting Form & Letter of authority
Your new supplier will now send you a number porting form and a Letter Of Authority (LOA) – sometimes these may be the same document.
On the documents, you will be asked for information such as your account details, installation address, port date and phone numbers you wish to port. Please make sure these details are correct, as incorrect information may cause your number port to fail, which other providers may charge you an admin fee if this happens.
This document will also confirm if there are any charges to port your number. Many providers charge for porting your number, however we (Globe2) – do not charge to port national geographic phone numbers.
Once you have filled in and signed the documents return these to your new supplier and they will place the order for your number port. - Wait for confirmation
Within 3 working days your new provider should be able to tell you if your port has been accepted by your current provider.
If you number port has been accepted, then your port will continue on the port date selected.
If your number port is rejected, then your new provider will confirm the reason why and may ask you to confirm the details submitted on the porting form and LOA. The new provider may require you to sign new documents if the information is incorrect.
After the new provider has the correct information, they will replace the number port order. - Check and cancel your old service
After you have received confirmation that the number port is complete, we advise that you check to make sure your phone numbers are working and routing through your new provider. You can ask your new provider for help with this.
After you have confirmed the phone numbers are working and routing through your new supplier, you can contact your existing provider and cancel any services that you no longer require.
Free number porting with Globe2
With our VoIP Phone System, we do not charge to port your national-geographic phone number in to our phone system. For instance, you can transfer your existing landline number to our cloud-based phone system.
For more information, please visit our VoIP page to find out more.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes. We use the number porting process described in this guide to port your number in to our VoIP Phone System.
As per Ofcom’s guidelines, number porting for single-lines and multi-lines takes at least 10 working days. Complex ports and non-geographic number ports may take longer.
This varies depending on the gaining provider. We do not charge to port a number in to our VoIP Phone System.
Your number port may get rejected for a number of reasons. When this happens the gaining provider will be able to advise why. Usually, number port failures are caused by incorrect installation address.
If you are planning on making the switch to VoIP and you would like to keep your existing number we advise porting your number to VoIP.
