Anyone who has dealt with their office telecoms will probably have heard the phrase “Number Porting”.

 

However, unless you are a professional in the field, you may not know much about it.

 

 

This brief guide will give you some pointers.

 

However, if you are in the middle of a number transfer and need advice please get in touch.

 

Some may use the term “Transferring” or “Number Transfer”, but the subject is just the same. Number Porting is the process you

will need to undergo if you change telecoms providers, and wish to keep hold of a pre-existing number.

 

The process for changing provider generally follows five steps:

1) You decide to change your telecoms provider, and contact some for quotes

2) You decide on one supplier that you think meets your requirements and ticks all the boxes

3) You sign to their service

4) You realise you need to keep the number which you have advertised for years and is known to your customers

5) You request your new provider to 'Port' this number to your new service.

 

So far so good – your new service is up and running, and your old number is following along ready to be used.

 

Unfortunately, there are issues which can catch out the unwary.

 

As business telecoms specialists, we deal with these requests day on, day out. We have seen the pitfalls which catch customers

transferring over to ourselves, and have come up with some ingenious solutions.

 

These tips are not normally available to those outside the telecoms industry (unless you are a SureVoIP customer and have

benefited from us assisting you).

 

 

The First Trap To Avoid!

 

The first trap which can catch the unwary is having the existing number tied to their broadband contract. Did you know that if you choose to transfer a number with broadband attached, your broadband will be ceased? We have tackled this issue with customers, and have found the best way to proceed.

 

Trade Secret: Place the Porting request, and then request the internet connection is renumbered, thus allowing the number to be transferred. The existing number can shift to the new provider, and the broadband will remain active.

 

 

The Second Trap To Avoid!

 

Another potential pitfall comes from the number being ceased by your original provider. This can happen due to unscrupulous companies trying to make your life difficult because they know you are moving to a different company.

 

Trade Secret (2): We strongly advise only dealing with companies who are Ofcom regulated. In our field (VoIP) we also have the advisory body 'The Internet Telephony Service Providers' Association'. We would strongly recommend looking for their Quality Mark when checking new providers.

 

 

See here for more Porting information. If you are porting a number, or thinking about porting a number, and need specialist insider advice, feel free to contact us for a chat.

 

 

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