Moving to a new house can be a stressful and chaotic experience. It gets even worse when you want to keep your existing phone number and take it with you to the new home. Businesses all across the country feel the same struggle when moving to a new office space. For them, the stake is even higher because getting an entirely different business number can result in potential loss of customers and business leads.
The good news is that you can avoid all the hassle and keep your existing landline phone number by transferring it to Virtual Landline. This is known as porting a phone number. It's an easy and quick process when applied to a landline phone number.
If you are considering porting, you should first check with your current service provider whether porting is allowed or if there are any additional costs for keeping your landline number.
The best part of using Virtual Landline is that you can transfer your existing landline phone number to our servers at no additional cost.
How to port your existing landline phone number to Mobile
Porting a landline phone number to mobile can be slightly confusing at first. This is why Virtual Landline has created this simple guide to help you move your old-school landline phone number into the new wave of communication.
1. Contact your new provider
Firstly, if you are looking to port your landline to a VoIP, you should contact your new provider and set up an account with them. In the registering process, you should be able to confirm that you are looking to port an existing landline. If this option is not available, it might be worth contacting the provider for additional information about their porting process.
2. Contact your current provider
After your account has been set up with your new provider, you should then contact your current provider and inform them of your intention to leave. This process may be slightly challenging if you are in a lengthy contract or have outstanding payments.
Once you have contacted your provider, you can request the porting data around your number. This would typically consist of a PIN, Account Number and the overall authorization for this process to take place.
3. Submit details
The next step is to deliver all of the above information, such as PIN and account number, to your new provider. With this information, the porting process can really start to take shape.
4. Confirm porting
After you have contacted your new provider with the details around your porting application, you will now have to wait for the porting to take place. This process can take up to 3 weeks, so you might have to be patient.
When the porting process has been concluded, you can then cancel your service with your old provider. This should be an easy process and can even be concluded over email.
Ask your provider if you are unsure that porting your landline number will be free or not.
How long does it take to port my phone number?
Usually, the landline porting process happens pretty quickly, but sometimes it can take up to 3 weeks for your number to be ported.
The main reasons for landline porting delays are usually down to forms not being completed properly or being completed slowly. Make sure there are no discrepancies between the current provider and the porting service, as this can cause issues as well. If your porting request is rejected, then contact your provider for more information on why this happened.
Benefits of porting your phone number to us:
1) Flexibility & Mobility
Using a cloud-based telephony service like Virtual Landline allows transferring your existing number to the cloud, meaning that your phone number stays with you anytime, anywhere. That way you can make calls from anywhere in the world, take your number with you when relocating or enjoy the benefits of running your business from a single mobile phone.
2) Saves Money
By porting the phone number to the cloud, your landline connection is no longer dependent on a physical address, and you don't have to pay for an expensive line rental or a fixed BT contract.
With Virtual Landline you get the flexibility of our monthly rolling subscriptions, meaning that you can stay with us if you want, or you can leave the service, without any hidden penalty charges or tie-ins.
3) Enjoy Many Free Features
Virtual Landline is designed to give you initial support and opportunities to grow. So with every subscription, you'll get these features:
- Free app
- Free £5 calling credit
- Free Voicemail to Email service
- Cheap calls abroad
- UK-based phone support
- Many tips and how-to guides on improving your business reputation
Can home users port landline numbers to Virtual Landline?
Virtual Landline is also appropriate for individual users, who want a UK landline number without being tied to a physical address. It's perfect if you are relocating and want to keep your old number, or if you're looking for a cheaper solution than a fixed BT line.
