When you move to a new phone system, customers will continue to call and text your previous business phone number and expect you to be at the other end of the line. Missing these calls can lead to frustrated customers, lost sales, and extra work for your team.
The good news is VoIP number porting is a seamless process that lets you keep your business line running with zero disruptions. Here’s what you need to know about porting your phone number to a new VoIP provider.
What is VoIP number porting?
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that allows you to make phone calls using an internet connection instead of a traditional landline or mobile network.
VoIP number porting lets you retain your existing phone number by moving from your current phone provider (whether that’s a traditional carrier or a VoIP service provider) to a new VoIP service provider.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), you have the right to keep your phone number when switching providers. This applies to traditional and VoIP services, ensuring a smooth transition without losing your established business number.
Benefits of VoIP number porting
The porting process involves a few steps, but the benefits make it worth the effort. Here’s why:
- Avoid losing customers: Keep your existing number so customers can reach you without confusion or missed calls.
- Faster setup: Porting your current number allows you to quickly transition to your new VoIP phone system without the hassle of informing everyone about a new number.
- Better customer service: By keeping the same number, customers don’t need to hunt down contact details to reach you. Plus, VoIP services often come with features like call routing, texting automations, and auto-attendants, which create a better customer experience.
- Lower costs: VoIP costs much less than traditional phone services. When you port your number, you avoid paying to maintain legacy lines or having to advertise a new number.
- Brand consistency: Your phone number is part of your brand identity — it’s on your business cards, website, ads, and more. Porting it ensures consistency across channels.
How does phone number porting to a VoIP provider work?
The phone number porting process only takes a few steps, no matter what provider you’re switching from or which VoIP service you’re moving to.
Here’s what it takes to port out your number to a new provider:
1. Let your current provider know you want to port out
Giving your current provider a heads-up that you’re porting out can help you avoid delays on either end of the porting process. Your current provider won’t have to do anything right away, but it’s important to inform them in advance.
2. Send the required information to your new provider
To comply with FCC regulations, your new provider will need your phone bill, latest invoice, and account number. Make sure your documentation includes your name, billing address, phone number, and a port-out/transfer PIN (if you have one associated with your account).
You’ll also need to sign a Letter of Authorization (LOA). This document verifies you’re the rightful owner of the phone number being ported and you authorize the transfer. This protects you against unauthorized transfers.
Your new VoIP provider may ask for some additional information:
- The name of your current provider
- If your number is toll-free, local US, or local Canada
- If your account is registered under a business name or a personal name
- If the number you’re porting is mobile, landline, or VoIP
- If you plan to port multiple numbers to your new provider (make sure to communicate this clearly in writing to your provider)
3. Maintain your current phone service until porting is complete
To avoid service disruptions, wait until your port is complete before closing your current account. This way, you can continue making and receiving calls while your new provider works their magic.
Your new carrier will let you know your port date, after which you can cancel your old service. If you cancel your service before the porting process is finished, you risk losing your phone number and experiencing delays.
4. Keep in mind typical timelines for porting
When you change your phone number to a VoIP provider, porting timelines can vary depending on how responsive your new and current providers are. So if both providers are quick to respond to the porting request, the process can go faster.
However, the process generally takes 5-7 business days for US numbers. With Canadian numbers, it takes a bit longer, about 10-12 business days.
Remember to ensure you provide accurate information, as any mistakes in the details you give can cause delays.
5. Complete your A2P 10DLC registration for texting US customers
To text customers with US phone numbers, you’ll need to complete A2P 10DLC registration. This newer registration requirement applies if you use any cloud phone service to prevent spam and fraud.
Depending on your provider, you might be able to register to meet this new requirement before starting the porting process. That way, once you’ve ported your number over, you can text right away without any issues. For example, OpenPhone lets you complete registration directly from its web or desktop app before you port over a local US or Canadian number.
6. Cancel your old service
Once the porting process is complete and you can successfully make calls and send texts from your new VoIP number, it’s safe to cancel service with your current carrier.
How to port your current number to OpenPhone in 5 steps
Want your switch to a new VoIP provider to be the last one you ever make? OpenPhone is a modern business phone service that can scale with you as your company grows. On top of being able to port in unlimited numbers (US, Canadian, or North American toll-free numbers) with zero porting fees, OpenPhone comes with features like:
- Integrations with email, Slack, Zapier, HubSpot, and more
- SMS and MMS messaging
- Call recording
- Call forwarding
- Call routing
- Three-way calling
- Call tags to label calls by topic and sentiment
- Call transcripts and summaries
Our porting process takes just a few simple steps:
- Sign up for an OpenPhone account and try a free seven-day trial.
- Log into the OpenPhone web or desktop app and submit your porting request once you’ve confirmed OpenPhone is a great fit for you and you’ve completed carrier registration (or toll-free verification if you’re porting in a toll-free number).
You’ll need a copy of a billing statement (or a screenshot of your account with the phone number and email address visible), your current account number, and your port-out/transfer PIN to complete this step. You can get these details directly from your current provider.
- We’ll confirm your port date and time so you’ll know when your number is available.
- Customize your phone number settings in your OpenPhone account while waiting for your number to move over. This includes setting up after-hours voicemail and auto-replies.
- Cancel the service with your original provider once OpenPhone’s porting team lets you know your number is ready to use.
4 common VoIP number porting issues
Several factors can affect how long it takes to port your phone number. The best way to keep your porting process as efficient as possible is to send your provider all the required documentation as soon as possible.
If you’ve triple-checked the documentation you provided and are confident it’s correct, here are a few common reasons porting may take longer than expected:
1. Issues with your existing service provider
- Slow to respond to your new provider’s porting request
- Account issues like unpaid balances
- Your number is inactive, disconnected, or no longer in service
2. Technical or geographic limitations
- The new VoIP provider doesn’t have coverage in your geographic area
- You’re porting in a phone number from outside the US
- You have complex porting requirements, which may be the case if the number is attached to multiple lines or has unique features like call forwarding and specialized call groups
3. Regulatory or process-related issues
- You’re moving a landline number to a new provider, which often takes longer than mobile numbers
- You want to send texts to your customers but haven’t completed the A2P 10DLC registration form before starting the porting process (in some cases, the registration can take weeks to process)
4. Errors or missing information
- Your porting request is rejected due to spelling errors, incorrect information supplied (such as the address or account number not matching what your current carrier has on file), or signatures from unauthorized sources
- You’re porting a Canadian phone number and haven’t responded to the confirmation text sent by your current carrier within 90 minutes
To stay on track with porting, monitor your timeline to keep your port-in request moving. Allow for a 3-4 day delay, but follow up with your existing carrier if it takes longer.
Port your number to OpenPhone today
VoIP number porting is a straightforward process that can help you access all the benefits of an internet-based phone. When you switch to OpenPhone, you can do more with your US, Canadian, or toll-free number, including:
- Call and message your clients and team members with free calling and texting to anyone in the US or Canada
- Share phone numbers with team members to help each other field calls and texts
- Get additional VoIP numbers; sign up for as many numbers as your team needs
- Streamline business processes by integrating with email, Slack, Zapier, HubSpot, and more
- Set up an automated phone menu so clients can route their own calls
- Record calls for training, quality assurance, or documentation purposes
- Save time sending texts by using snippets, scheduled texts, and auto-replies
- Connect tools and automate workflows using the Make integration
- Never miss a call with Sona, OpenPhone’s AI voice agent
Sign up for your free trial of OpenPhone with a temporary new number to try it out — and when you’re ready, start the VoIP number porting process.
FAQs
Yes, as long as the VoIP provider supports the area code or region of the phone number you wish to transfer over, you should be able to port your cell phone number.
Porting a VoIP number to a cell phone is sometimes possible. However, if your VoIP phone number uses an area code that doesn’t match your geographic area, your cell phone service provider will ask you to select a new local number — for instance, if you have a Canadian phone number but live in the United States and try to port that number to a US cell provider. This usually occurs if your new provider doesn’t have local infrastructure in those areas.
You can typically check your number portability on your new carrier’s website so you’ll know if you can make the switch.
Yes, you can port your phone number to a VoIP provider in the majority of cases. Since VoIP solutions provide service over the internet instead of through local cell towers, they can support the porting of more telephone numbers than the average cell phone or landline carrier, regardless of your location. For example, you can port US, Canadian, and toll-free numbers to OpenPhone.
Most personal and business phone numbers are portable. However, some landlines and international numbers may encounter porting issues due to information mismatches.
Yes, but the porting process can take longer to complete. It requires more resources to overcome the logistical challenges a VoIP provider faces to make sure you can use your number on various devices with an Internet connection.
Porting your number to a VoIP service has many benefits compared to traditional carriers, including:
– Usually costs less, with lower monthly rates and cheaper international calls
– Gives you more flexibility because you can manage your business phone system from anywhere in the world with an internet connection
– Provides automation features like ticket routing and AI-suggested responses so your team can reply faster
The average time it takes to port an existing number to a VoIP provider is 5-7 business days for US numbers and 10-12 business days for Canadian numbers.
This timeline can vary depending on factors like the responsiveness of your current provider and the accuracy of the information provided.
Some providers may charge a porting fee or a termination fee, depending on the terms of your contract. For example, AT&T and Google Fi each charge a $20 fee to port a mobile number to Google Voice.
If you’re using Google Voice’s free plan, you’ll need to pay a $3 fee to unlock your number before porting it to another provider. Alternatively, some providers like OpenPhone don’t charge any fees to port in a number.
The right phone system depends on your business needs — but in general, you should look for:
– Transparent pricing
– Call routing to automatically send customers to the right place
– Collaboration features like call transfers and internal communication notes
– Business SMS/MMS with automation features like auto-replies and scheduled messages
– Call recording, transcripts, and summaries
– Responsive customer support
Once you’ve created a shortlist of providers, it’s a good idea to trial them or get a demo to see the platform in action.
