When requesting to port your phone numbers, you may come across these common porting issues. Read this article for common porting issues and how to resolve them.
This article covers:
As Zoom ports numbers from all around the globe, porting windows vary. The below can be used as a guideline as to when porting occurs. Often, porting times are confirmed by either an automated system or a member of the porting team. ALL porting occurs Monday – Friday (except for local holidays).
US and Canada
LATAM
APAC
EMEA
Porting windows can last up to 3 hours. The below times are approximate
Notes:
This is the provider that you currently pay your telephone bills to. The losing provider name must always appear on your porting LOA.
We can port your local (sometimes referred to as geographical) numbers in all supported countries. The porting process itself is dependent on your current service provider and their acceptance of the porting request. In some countries, your porting date will coincide with the termination date of your contract with your current service provider, they may even reject the port. It would be advisable for you to check your current contract terms with your provider, note they may apply an early contract termination fee.
We can port toll-free numbers in the US and Canada as well as other regions. Please see our articles about requesting a number port.
A DDI block is a set of sequential numbers, without any gaps or missing numbers. If the service phone provider has built your numbers as a DDI block on their network (or their underlying suppliers’ network), then they may only allow the numbers to be ported away as a DDI block when you leave them. Contact your phone service provider for more details on the numbers you own and if they're part of a DDI block.
As you own all ported-in numbers, you will need to add and keep your ported numbers as a block within your Zoom Phone account.
Yes, you can. Contact your current service provider about forwarding to your Zoom Phone account before submitting your porting request.
North America: Porting will take as little as 7 business days, and as long as 10 business days. Most wireless numbers will port in 4 business days; landlines will typically port in 7 business days from major providers, and 10 to 21 business days from smaller providers (including Canada).
Project porting typically takes 3 to 4 weeks, depending on complexity (how many underlying carriers are involved, their individual SLAs, the quantity of telephone numbers involved, etc.) Our Zoom Phone Enterprise Solutions team can help set proper expectations on a case-by-case basis.
Latin America: Porting can take up to 60 days.
APAC: Porting can take 10 to 12 weeks.
EMEA: Porting can take up to 60 days. The UK can take up to 30 days.
We will keep you updated throughout the porting process, and we will let you know once we have agreed on a firm porting date with your provider.
Your service must remain active with your current service provider throughout the number porting process. You will be notified by Zoom once your number has successfully transferred and you will be able to cancel your service with your old service provider at that time. Zoom does not cancel your service on your behalf.
Your existing service will work as is during the porting process if you do not make any account changes. Once your number has transferred to Zoom, your old service will no longer function.
Note: Any service interruption during the porting process must be raised to your provider.
Porting may take longer than the standard time frame. A lot of factors can contribute to the delays.
Common reasons include:
Your porting request will be canceled if there is no response or update from you within 15 business days. Some orders will be automatically canceled if the system detects the following:
A BYOC (Bring Your Own Carrier) to native port allows you to move pre-existing BYOC numbers from BYOC to Zoom Phone.
This happens when your previous provider/carrier, still has your ported numbers in their network. In the industry, this is called ‘Residual Translations’, and it is quite common.
Losing carriers have 24 hours in which to remove your newly ported number/s from their network. If they have not done so, or if you’d like to get them removed sooner, please engage your previous provider/carrier, and ask them to remove the numbers from their network/switch.
The address submitted on the order does not match the address on the losing provider's Records. Most providers will require the service/physical address to be presented on the order, rather than the billing address.
Some countries in Europe and Asia require an address that matches the geographic area code of the porting numbers. Without this, the port request will be rejected and cause a delay.
Resolution: Zoom and its partner carriers will attempt to pull a record to resolve the mismatch. If they cannot obtain the records, you will need to obtain the correct information from the provider.
For porting in EMEA and APAC, you will need to contact your current phone provider to find out the correct address for your numbers.
Account Number Required: The provider requires the account number before approving the port. This generally assists in the verification process to prevent unauthorized ports. The account number is usually different than the account telephone number (ATN) / or billing telephone number (BTN) and is usually found on the bill. This is most common for mobile numbers.
Account Number Invalid: This means that the account number provided on the order does not match what the provider has on file. See the above topic for information on the account number.
Resolution: You need to obtain the correct account number, send it to us, and we will resubmit. This can usually be found on the bill.
The phone number or the account holding the phone number is disconnected, inactive, or suspended. Sometimes this means that the phone number itself is inactive (rings to a disconnect recording), or that the number is in a status with the provider that indicates an inactive account.
Resolution: All phone numbers need to be active to port. You may need to contact your service provider to re-establish the phone service.
In the US and Canada, when we submit a port request to a provider, we give the BTN/ATN to the provider that was populated on the order. The provider will take that BTN and search for the corresponding customer record to obtain all the account details to approve the port request. If the BTN provided on the order does not allow the provider to pull up the account records, they will reject it back to us indicating the BTN is incorrect.
Resolution: Unfortunately, pulling a customer record on an incorrect BTN can prove difficult as providers often use that as a way of searching for your account. You will need to contact your service provider to obtain the correct BTN.
In EMEA and APAC countries, you will need to ask your current phone service provider for the correct BTN (or Main Billing Number) for your porting telephone numbers.
The business or residential name on the order does not match that of the provider's customer records.
Resolution: Our partners will attempt to pull a copy of your records in hopes of resolving the mismatch. If our partners cannot obtain your records, you will need to obtain the correct information from your service provider.
Partial port indicates that there are more numbers on the account than you may have initially provided to port. We need to know what those numbers are and what you would like to do with them.
The migration indicator is the setting on the port request that tells us if you are requesting a full port or partial port.
Both settings indicate an incorrect setting with the type of request. For example:
Resolution: The request must be updated to a partial/full port, depending on the rejection. If you plan on leaving numbers behind with your service provider, but you are porting the BTN (the main number on the account), you need to provide a new BTN to keep the account intact with the provider. The new BTN needs to be a number that already exists on the same account. We can talk you through this if you were to face this issue.
This is an error you may see when first submitting your request. To fix the error, please update your BTN (Billing Telephone Number) field to reflect one of the numbers you are looking to port. Once updated, you should be able to submit with no issues.
Some providers require a PIN or passcode to authenticate and approve the port request:
Resolution: Unfortunately, we, nor our porting partners can obtain this information. Obtaining/setting up the PIN can only be done by an authorized user on the account. This is required by all mobile providers, and it is best practice to contact your mobile provider and update your account PIN instead of asking the current.
A pending order can be another port request that has been submitted with the same number; a feature added or disconnected, or an address change. If there is an active order on the account, it will prevent your numbers from porting. Even if you only requested a name change or billing address change, they all contribute to a pending order rejection. This could also mean that one or more numbers are being ported on separate orders.
Resolution: If you are not sure what the pending order is, you will need to contact your service provider to resolve the issue. Sometimes a simple change is delayed in a queue on the provider's side and never completed. Once resolved, we can resubmit the order.
A porting application may be rejected because your service provider placed a freeze on your account or phone number.
Resolution: Contact your service provider to remove the lock or freeze.
You did not attach a copy of your bill to the porting request, or your bill is outdated.
Resolution: Upload a copy of your bill that is dated within the last 45 days.
Your order may be rejected because the person listed on the request is not authorized to make account changes with your provider.
Resolution: Contact your provider and validate the person in their system that is authorized to make changes.