Porting is the transfer of a phone number between two telephone service providers on behalf of an end user. The process involves providing documentation to prove ownership of the number as well as coordination between the two providers about the number’s porting date.
Here’s an overview of the process for porting a phone number to Plivo:
To initiate a port-in request, you must have a Plivo Standard account. Before you initiate a porting request, gather these documents:
The best way to prevent your port request from being rejected is to make sure you submit the exact information that your current carrier has on file. It’s a good idea to contact your current carrier in advance to verify this information. The surest way to reduce the likelihood of a port rejection is to obtain a CSR from your current carrier and use the information it contains.
Submitting a port request via Plivo console is currently available only for USA and Canada. For other countries, submit a port-in request via a support ticket.
Log in to the Plivo console and go to Phone Numbers > Port-In > New Port-In Order. Fill in your business details on the User Details screen, then click Continue.
On the Port-In Details screen, enter your preferred port-in date and the numbers you want to port in. Enter the current carrier’s account number and, if you have one, the port PIN for the number. Click Continue.
The final screen asks you to upload the supporting documents for each number request. When you’re finished, click Submit.
Until you hear that the porting process is complete, don’t close your account with your old carrier, in order to keep your numbers active.
Next, configure your ported numbers in advance on the Plivo console so that when the port-in is complete, your numbers are set up for voice and SMS. This step keeps you from having down time once the number is ported.
To configure your port-in numbers, go to Phone Numbers > Port-In > Configure Number.
On the Numbers Configure screen:
Plivo will check the requested phone number for porting eligibility, and check that you’ve included the necessary documents. Verification times vary depending on the type of number that you’re porting.
If all the details and documents are acceptable, Plivo will submit the request to the gaining carrier. This part of the process takes about a day.
Once the porting request is verified by the gaining carrier, the request is submitted to the losing carrier. The porting request will be pending, and no further action will be required until the losing carrier releases the number. This can take from seven to 15 business days.
After the losing carrier verifies and processes the request, you’ll get an update on the status of the porting request. The request can be either approved or rejected.
If approved
If rejected
Plivo will send you an email message with your porting date, and we’ll add the numbers to your account at midnight on the date of the FOC. We recommend you have your application set up and ready for your number at this point to avoid any service interruption or downtime for the newly ported number.
Toll-free phone number porting must be requested by a phone number’s subscriber. Plivo (the new carrier) will submit a porting request to the current carrier with the appropriate ownership documents from you. Here’s an overview of the process for porting a toll-free phone number to Plivo:
You raise a toll-free porting request using the same steps mentioned above.
Plivo requests the following documents and information from you. Note: Make sure that all documents have the same name and address. Discrepancies may cause delays and even application rejection from the losing carrier.
You provide your preferred porting completion date. Note: The porting completion date should be at least 10 to 15 business days from the date the documents are submitted to the carrier.
Once we receive all the documents from you, we’ll submit the porting request to your current carrier.
Upon approval, your current carrier will release the number to Plivo and maintain translation for three to seven business days. During this period your calls are still handled by the previous carrier. We use this transition period to set up the toll-free number with Plivo routing. Once the number is set up correctly, it’s added to your Plivo account, and you can attach it to an application.
Porting requests can be rejected for various reasons. If your porting request is rejected, you’ll have to resubmit the request and wait through another delay of 10 to 15 business days.