The best number porting experience anywhere

Number porting is the process of transferring an active phone number from one service provider to another provider. This allows you (or your customer) to keep an existing phone number when changing service providers. You can port phone numbers between wireline, IP, and wireless providers.

To submit a port order at Bandwidth, you’ll need access to the Bandwidth Dashboard or the Global Portal, which you will receive upon onboarding. From there, it’s only a few clicks away.

Bandwidth systems and business practices are designed to comply with applicable regulatory rules and practices related to standards, requirements, and recommendations for number porting for each country supported.

Porting is when you move an existing phone number from one service provider to another.

Forwarding means your number keeps its old account association but is instead forwarded to another number or person.

Think setting up a forwarding mailbox versus replacing your old mailbox with something newer, but it’s kept in the same location.

Simply put, it depends on the number type, the previous service provider, and which country you are porting in. There are different types of ports and each type has its own estimated time frame for completion. Check out a few examples for porting in the U.S.:

• “Standard” or Off-net ports take 3-7 business days.
• “Simple ports” take 1-4 business days.
• “Toll-free ports” take 2-7 business days.
• “Complex ports” take 3-4 weeks.
• Project ports can take 3-4 weeks.

For porting numbers via the Global portal, different lead times apply due to the local porting framework of that country. Reach out to the Bandwidth team to chat about the specific timeframes to port your global numbers.

Note: Please keep in mind that because Bandwidth can’t predict any errors in processing, or the behaviors of other service providers, all quoted times above are Bandwidth’s goal to get the order completed, and can’t be guaranteed for all cases.

In the United States, number portability must follow the rules and practices established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Except for some very specific types of numbers, once you request service from a new provider and submit a valid port request, the FCC prohibits your old provider from refusing the port request.

FCC rules define what makes up a valid port request and under what circumstances a port may be rejected. It’s important to note that although FCC porting rules themselves apply across all service providers, different providers may have different systems and internal processes for completing the porting activity. For this reason, it’s helpful to understand the difference between “refusing” to port and “rejecting” a port. There are specific reasons a port may be rejected and are most commonly related to information mismatches between what you may submit and what the losing service provider has in their records. Port rejections can significantly delay the time frame for port completion. But don’t worry, that’s what Bandwidth is here to help you with! Our systems and our teams can help navigate these challenges and support your porting needs within FCC guidelines.

For porting of numbers in other countries, different rules and guidelines may apply due to the local porting framework of that country. Reach out to the Bandwidth team to chat about the specific rules which may apply to the global porting of your numbers.

Bandwidth offers a real-time number portability checker through the dashboard/global portal. You’ll enter the number (or all of your numbers via bulk upload or API), and with the click of a button, we’ll show you which numbers are portable. This is a critical tool to help you (and your customers) know ahead of time which numbers are portable.

You can port local numbers and toll-free numbers using the dashboard/global portal and API. Short code migrations can be requested through our support team. Each number type may have a slightly different porting process–talk to your Bandwidth contact for more information.

In the Bandwidth dashboard, you can port up to 20,000 phone numbers from multiple service providers at one time with a sub-limit of 5,000 phone numbers per losing service provider through our “check portability” page.

In the Global dashboard, if you are porting numbers via the Global portal, each request can contain a maximum of 500 numbers. Requests have to be split per country and number type and area code. This is to reflect how requests are submitted to local service providers in each country.

To ensure a port is authorized in the United States, you will need to provide us with end-user information matching the Customer Service Record (CSR). Bandwidth also requires customers to obtain a Letter of Authorization (LOA) from their end users. All of this information helps us help you avoid rejected ports as mentioned above.

For global numbers, each country has its own LOA template. Don’t worry! We have downloadable country-specific LOA templates you can use for your port request.

Yes, it can!

No. Disconnected or inactive numbers cannot be ported, therefore disconnecting service with your existing service provider should only be performed once you’ve successfully ported numbers to Bandwidth.

Bandwidth porting processes are designed to keep your communications up and running. As long as you do not cancel services with your existing provider before your number ports, the number should remain active with the losing service provider right up to the second that your number ports to Bandwidth. Our team works with you to establish a convenient porting date.

In your Bandwidth dashboard/global portal, you will be able to see progress updates for your port orders. You can also subscribe to receive email notifications to stay updated on a port order.