Porting
Porting is the process of moving a phone number from one carrier to a new carrier. Porting is controlled by rules put in place by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States, and by other regulatory bodies in other countries. The rules which the FCC have made also give room for carriers to also establish rules of their own on how their porting process works during the review phase. These rules often give the losing the carrier a review window in which if an error is found that the port must be resubmitted and the review window starts over. For this reason, when providing a Letter of Authorization (LOA) or other information related to the phone line records, please ensure that it is correct and matches what the current carrier has on their records.
Submitting a Number to Port via the NocTel Control Panel
- Login to the NocTel control panel and click on Numbers in the left-hand menu.
- Click on the blue link labeled “Port an Existing Number” located towards the top of the page.
- Read the information provided on the new page, as it gives an overview of the porting process and the information that will be needed.
- At the bottom of the page in the “Number to Port” section enter the numbers you wish to port. Include +1 at the beginning of the number and leave out all dash or dots. Example: +15551230000. You can request multiple numbers to be ported, but each number must be located on its own line within the text box.
- Click Continue when done.
- You should be redirected to the Numbers page and the new number should be in the numbers list with an “Action Required” status. Click on the number in the list to open its Edit Number page.
Within the numbers edit page on the Number tab the following items can be changed (click submit to save changes):- Description: Enter a meaningful description of the number.
- Inbound Calls: Choose between unlimited, which will never give a busy signal to inbound calls, or select the number of calls you want the number to have before a busy signal is given to the caller.
- Route to Extension: Route the number to work with a physical extension such as a phone or a virtual extension such as a menu. This directs inbound calls to an extension and its action list.
- Call ID Name: Update the caller ID name for the number with the FCC. The Caller ID can be no more than 15 characters including spaces and must adhere to FCC regulation and CNAM database policies. Changes to the Caller ID can take up to 60 days to take effect and be updated within the CNAM database.
- Below the options for the number, in the green area, is where you will need to upload a PDF version of your latest bill, on which the number appears. Click Choose File and navigate to the file on your computer.
- Click Submit & Upload to upload the copy of the bill.
- Shortly after submitting your number port request you will receive an email at your account specified email address asking you to download, complete, sign and return the Letter of Authorization.
To ensure the fastest porting process, we recommend submitting the signed Letter of Authorization electronically through our website. To do so:
- Log in to your NocTel account,
- Click on Numbers.
- Click on the number you are porting in the number list.
- Use the Choose File button in the green area to locate the completed LOA on your local computer.
- Click Submit & Upload.
Acceptable formats are PDF, PNG, JPG, or TIFF, at least 150dpi. If you are unable to submit electronically, you may fax the completed form to us at FAX: 503.200.1010 or mail it to:
NocTel Communications, Inc.
3242 NE 3rd AVE #230
Camas, WA 98607
Please make sure that the information on the Letter of Authorization is correct and matches that which in on your account with the current carrier.
Once you have submitted both the most recent invoice and the Letter of Authorization the NocTel porting team will begin working on submitting the order to the losing carrier via a porting authority. It is important that once the port is underway that you do not make any changes to your current provider’s account as this can lead to delays. Please note that if the losing carrier contests the port you may be asked to verify information or obtain addition information from your current provider in order to verify the account. Although most ports of one or two numbers usually take place within a two-week timeframe from the original submission, please note that the port can take longer if the information on the LOA is flagged as incorrect by your current carrier. Please double check all information before submitting it to NocTel.
Removing an incorrect number requested for Porting.
If you have entered a number in error or wish to cancel the process:
- Click on Numbers in the left-hand menu.
- Find the number in the list and click on it to be taken to the number’s edit page.
- Click the “Remove this number” link next to the “Submit & Upload” button, located towards the bottom of the page.
ATTENTION: Please confirm that the number you are removing is the correct number before pressing the “Remove this number” link!
Checking the Porting Status of a Number.
- Click on Numbers in the left-hand menu.
- Find the number in the list and click on it to be taken to the number’s edit page.
- Click on the “Porting Status” tab. Completed steps will be shown with a check mark.
Temporary Numbers and their Use
When a number port is requested a temporary number is automatically assigned to it within the account. Temporary numbers can be used while you wait for the porting to complete for testing call routing.
Temporary numbers can also be used with Remote Call Forwarding (RCF) to allow you to forward your current line to the NocTel system while you wait for the port to complete. An RCF is a request that must be made with your current provider, but keep in mind this must be enabled before your port is submitted. Otherwise, it could create a change with your losing carrier and jeopardize the port approval.
With an RCF in place, calls to the number that is porting are forwarded to your temporary number, allowing you to use your NocTel equipment and controls. Before contacting your losing carrier to have a RCF set up please contact support@noctel.com to see if remote call forwarding is a good option for your account and to make sure it will not interrupt the porting process.
Once porting is complete, the temporary number will be automatically removed from the account.
Related articles