Porting: Keeping Your Phone Number When You Change Providers

If you replace the service provider and stay in the same geographical area, you can save the existing telephone number. This process – often referred to as porting telephone numbers – can be done between cable, IP and wireless providers. You can know How to Forward Landline Calls to a Cell Phone online. 

Get a porting process starts

You can request services from different companies at any time. When changing the company:

Review your current contract. Your contract can contain early termination costs and / or extraordinary balances that you have to pay.

Don't stop your service with your existing company before starting new services with other companies.

Contact a new company to start the porting process of your number.

Give new companies with your 10 digit telephone number and any additional information needed.

Is there a cost for porting?

The company may charge you for your number port, but you can ask if there are fees that can be eliminated or negotiated.

After you request a service from a new company, your old company cannot refuse to port your number, even if you owe money for balances or termination costs.

How long is the porting process takes place?

The FCC rules require a simple port, which generally does not involve more than one row or more complex adjustments for telephone switching equipment, to be processed in one business day. You might be able to use your phone in a few hours for changes between wireless service providers. However, porting from wireline to wireless services may still take several days.