What’s phone number porting & how to port your number now?

What is phone number porting?

Phone number porting is the process of transferring a phone number from one provider to a different provider. This is most often done when switching providers due to a number of reasons.

Some people don’t know they have the right to keep their phone numbers as they switch providers. This applies to personal and business cell phone numbers, virtual phone numbers, or even a landline. 

This guide covers the most frequently asked questions about the phone number porting process.

Why port your phone number?

There are many reasons you might want to port your phone number to another service:

• Switch to a more affordable mobile carrier without losing your number
• Port your mobile number to a virtual phone service so you can keep it when moving abroad
• Ditch your landline while keeping your phone number

If you’re switching your business phone number:

• Switch to a more suitable business phone service while keeping your phone numbers
• Ditch carrying two cell phones and port one of those phone numbers to a virtual phone service
• Support call forwarding for multiple phone numbers
• Port your landline to a VoIP phone service so you can send text messages

Is my phone number portable?

In the majority of cases, you should be able to port your phone number to another service. If the phone number is under your name, you should be able to start the process yourself. If it’s under a company account, ask your company’s IT team for help.

Sometimes, a provider is unable to port a number if they don’t serve the geographic area the number belongs to. They do not have the infrastructure built out to serve those phone numbers. For example, many providers don’t have coverage in Alaska and wouldn’t be able to port a local 907 number.

How does phone number porting work?

Phone number porting is mostly a simple process. Here’s how the porting process works:

1. Let your current provider know that you’ll be porting out

You can contact your provider’s support team to let them know you’re switching providers. The provider doesn’t have to do anything at this time.

2. Send the following information to your new provider

For legal reasons, your new provider needs the following information:

• Phone bill, account number, or latest invoice
  • It should include the number you’re porting, your name, and billing address.
• If you have a PIN set on your account, include it. An account PIN is generally associated with local US numbers and can often be found in the account dashboard with your current carrier. Unsure whether you have a PIN? Contact your current carrier.
• You’ll need to sign a Letter of Authorization granting permission to the new carrier to do the port.

Other information that your new provider will need includes:

• Number of phone numbers you want to port
• Type of number
  • Whether your number is local US, local Canada, or toll-free/1-800
  • Is your number currently mobile, landline, or VoIP?
• Current provider

Is the account under your personal name or the business name?

3. Your new carrier will notify you about the port date.

When the port is complete, you cancel your service with your original provider.

Note: Canceling service with your old provider before your number has been ported successfully can cause issues, so we recommend waiting until your port is complete.

Phone Porting FAQs

After porting hundreds of numbers to OpenPhone, we’ve come across many questions about the porting process and how it works. Here are some of the common questions about phone number porting:

Phillip Paquette

Austin, TX-based storyteller with a background in support operations that’s helped businesses for 3+ years navigate virtual phone solutions. Passionate about sharing best practices for calling and texting.