Port Number

Port Number

What is Number Porting?

Porting refers to the act of transferring a phone number from one telecom service provider to another, at the request of the end-user. The procedure necessitates the submission of appropriate documentation to validate the number's ownership and requires coordination between the current and new providers to finalize the date of porting.

Porting your US telephone number can take up to four four weeks depending on the type of number you are porting.

What Information is Required?

  • The authorized user or owner’s first and last name.
  • The corresponding service address with your current provider. This must be an actual physical address.
  • A Letter of Authorization (LoA) signed by the authorized user and/or owner of the number(s).
  • A scanned (or electronic) copy of the most recent phone bill, within the last 30 days.

Port your Number(s) to Tonet

  • Click on Support in your Dashboard and select New Ticket
  • In the Ticket Type field select Port Number
  • Fill out the Basic Information to get started. Please note that the address must be the Service Address on file with your current carrier.
  • Enter the name of your current service provider.
  • Add all the numbers you want to port. This automatic form allows you to enter up to 20 numbers.
  • Enter the PIN code for your account with your current carrier (This is usually located on your bill)
  • Enter the emergency address you want associated with your phone number(s).
  • Upload a scanned (or electronic) copy of your most recent telephone bill.
  • We also recommend that you upload a current CSR (Customer Service Record) to minimize the risk that your port request gets rejected.
  • Finally sign the form and click Next to verify the request.
  • On the next page you will get the chance to double check that all your information is correct and view your signed LoA (Letter of Authorization).
  • Once you have confirmed the information click on Submit to finalize the request.

Next steps

  • You can view the status of your port request in Support - Tickets.
  • You will get a notification once the port request has been accepted and the number(s) transferred to your Tonet system.
  • Go to the phones page to adjust the routing of your number(s).

What is a LoA (Letter of Authorization)?

The Letter of Authorization is a form used to release your number(s) from your current provider to Tonet. This form must include your address information that your provider has on file for you as well as the phone number(s).

What is a CSR (Customer Service Record)?

To minimize the risk of the port being rejected, it's advised to provide as much details as possible. In many cases, the billing record and the customer service record will have the same information, but this is not necessarily going to be the case. Therefore, it's best to ask specifically for the CSR.

To obtain a Customer Service Record (CSR), you'll need to contact your current carrier, and you may need to ask for your carrier's Porting Team. Please specify that you want the customer service record on file with the carrier, not merely your billing records.

What are some common reasons a port request can be rejected?

While most phone numbers are portable, there are some frequent reasons why a request to port them may initially be declined by the current carrier. However, in almost all situations, the legitimate user of the number can address these issues, enabling the port request to move forward.

Unsatisfactory Business Relationship

This typically means that either you have an unpaid balance or the carrier charges a port away fee. To resolve this rejection you must pay any outstanding balance/fee to your current carrier.

All Data Mismatch / Name Mismatch / Address Mismatch

This means that the information you submitted on your Letter of Authorization (LOA) is different from what is on file with your carrier in their Customer Service Record (CSR). A CSR is a copy of how your telephone records appear in the telephone company’s database. In order to ensure a port request’s likely success, the information on the Letter of Authorization (LOA) – particularly the authorized user, service address, and zip code – should exactly match the information on the CSR.

Number is Inactive

Your numbers must be in service with the losing carrier. To resolve this rejection, contact the losing carrier to reinstate the number.

Wrong Wireless Account Pin

In order to port wireless numbers, you must submit a PIN. Please note that the PIN is sometimes the last four digits of the account holder’s Social Security Number.