Number Porting
- Kelli Higdon
Welcome to our complete guide to PBXact Cloud number porting. We are glad that you are considering bringing your number(s) to PBXact Cloud and we look forward to serving you. This wiki is for customers who would like to port phone numbers in to PBXact Cloud from another service provider.
Number porting allows you to keep your phone numbers when switching service providers.
How to Create a Number Port Request
A "port request" is a request to move a telephone number or group of telephone numbers to PBXact Cloud from another service provider. A single port request may involve multiple numbers as long as they all belong to the same carrier and are not a mixture of local and toll-free numbers.
Are you planning to port more than one number? Before you proceed, first read our "do's and dont's" to help you decide whether you need to split your request into multiple orders.
Port Request Do's and Dont's
Following the tips below will speed the processing of your port request(s) and help us better serve you. We want your porting experience to be quick, easy, frustration-free, and successful.
Please take time to organize your port request(s) as follows, in order to prevent delays and extra paperwork later:
Please use one submission for each port request.
We can port multiple numbers at the same time, but the numbers must be grouped according to #2, #3, and #4 below. Each group of numbers is considered one port request. We can process one port request per submission but you can create as many submissions as you need.
Please do not combine local and toll-free numbers.
We need to treat these as separate port requests because we process them differently on our end. Please create separate port requests for local vs. toll-free numbers.
Please be sure all numbers in a single port request belong to the same carrier.
Often, especially with SIP numbers, the customer is not aware that their provider is using multiple carriers. Please check with your provider ahead of time to determine if you need to split your numbers into different groups.
Please be sure all numbers in a single port request share the same account information.
This information includes account number, billing telephone number (BTN), business name, and service address. If you have a complex account, please double-check the configuration with your service provider.
Filling out a Porting Request Submission
You will need to fill our our Porting Request Submission form which will generate a Letter of Authorization (LOA) to give us permission to port-in your numbers.
Log into your https://cloud.pbxact.com account and navigate to the Location you want to submit a port request for.
Click on the Porting Tab on the left nav bar
Provide the email address you want all emails sent to regarding this port request.
Pick the FOC Date (The day you want the ports to be completed on). By default we set the date to be 7 days from submission their is no gurantee the date you pick is what your loosing carrier will agree to but you have to provide atleast 7 days.
List all the phone numbers you want to submit on this port request. Each Port request should only contain grouping of numbers that belong to the same carrier and on the same bill from your carrier. Please do not mix Local and Toll Free Numbers on the same port request and create two seperate request instead.
Provide your Address information for the numbers you want to port. These addresses should match what your existing carrier has on file for your account.
Provide the name and optionally Title of the person who is authorized on your account to port out your numbers
Optionally provide your Billing Telephone Number and Account number if your existing carrier provides those
Customer Type - Business or Residential
Business Name - Name of your Business that this account is under
Number Type - Landline or Mobile number
Partial Port - yes or no. If this single port request includes all the numbers your have with your carrier you will set this to yes. If not set to no.
Upload a Bill Copy to help the Porting process. It is recommedned when possiable to include a copy of a recent bill to help the porting process but is not required. If the port gets rejected by your loosing carrier a copy of a recent Bill may be requested by us.
Sign the document using your mouse to draw our your name and type in the Authorized Users
Press the Submit button so submit your port request.
Viewing and Replying to Existing Port Request
Once a port request has been submitted a ticket in our ticket system will be created a email will be sent to you.
All updates to the porting process including rejection, acceptance and request for additional information will be sent via the ticketing system to you.
You can reply to the ticket email at anytime.
You can also log into the ticket system with your PBXact Cloud account at https://support.sangoma.com to view and reply to tickets
A list of all pending port request can be viewed from within your PBXact Cloud store under the Customer Service tab as shown below
You can click on the Ticket ID hyperlink to have the system automaticaly take you into your ticket to view all replies and reply to any ticket or request.
FAQ
General Porting Tips
Keep your numbers active with the losing carrier until after the port.
We are only able to port active numbers. Please do not cancel service with your current provider until after the port completes. We do not recommend scheduling a cancellation ahead of time, since the porting timeframe can be unpredictable.
Determine the correct information that is on file with the losing carrier. Don't guess or use trial-and-error.
All of the information you submit in the letter of authorization (LOA) must match what the losing carrier has on file. This includes the company name, service address, account number, authorized user, and service address. Remember, the actual carrier may be a different entity from your service provider. The information on file might not be what you expect, especially with VoIP numbers.
Plan for up to four weeks of processing time.
Porting can be a slow process and we appreciate your patience. The typical timeframe for most ports to be completed is 1-3 weeks. If any rejections are encountered, the process will take longer. Some numbers, such as Google Voice numbers, can be ported as quickly as 24 hours, but this is an exception to the norm. We typically cannot honor requests to "expedite" a port.
Be ready for the port.
If you make a port request, we assume you and your PBXact Cloud account are ready to accept the ported numbers. You will be able to manage your new DID(s) in your PBXact Cloud account as soon as we receive an assigned port date. You will need to have your trunks and routes set up ahead of time in order to avoid downtime. Ports typically occur at 11:30 AM eastern time on weekdays. Please let us know if you would like a specific date, keeping in mind this works best as an "on or after..." type of request. Although you can request to cancel a port, sometimes this is not possible, especially on short notice (less than 2 days). It's best to make a port request only when you are truly ready.
Communicate with us.
Sometimes we will need more information from you in order to complete a port, so it's important that we are able to communicate with you. When you first create a number port request ticket, you can expect to receive a response within 1-2 business days. If you haven't received this response, please check your e-mail's spam filter. When you open a Port Request with PBXact Cloud as outlined below a ticket is created in our ticketing system and you will receive email updates as the porting process happens. At anytime you can reply to those emails or even log into the ticketing system with your PBXact Cloud login at https://support.sangoma.com
Gathering your Information and Paperwork
Before you fill out your port submission, there are a few other things to check:
Is a bill copy available?
When you request to port-in numbers to PBXact Cloud, we ask that you include a copy of the most recent bill for the numbers. The bill copy must be dated within the past 30 days (issue date, not due date). The bill copy helps prove your ownership of the numbers. It can also help us catch errors. In case the losing carrier rejects your request, we can often use your bill as a means to dispute the rejection. A PDF is best. A screenshot is acceptable if there is no other means of providing a bill copy.
Is a PIN required?
We need to know a personal identification number (PIN) or passcode for certain ports. Please check with your service provider to determine if a PIN will be required. You can advise us of the PIN when you open your number porting ticket in our support system. If you do not provide the PIN but we later determine it is required, we will let you know.
Is a Customer Service Record (CSR) available?
A CSR is a document describing the configuration of your account. It is an official document that comes from a carrier. While the information on it is coded and looks cryptic, it is extremely useful for us when we are working on your port request, especially if we encounter a rejection. Not all providers will be able to give you a CSR. But if you can obtain one, we greatly appreciate it if you can pass it along to us.