Porting transfers a phone number from one service provider to another. Number porting lets customers retain the same phone number while switching service providers, avoiding service interruptions and maintaining their existing user base.

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How to port your phone number to Plivo

Here’s an overview of the process for porting a phone number to Plivo. 
  1. Submit porting request documentation to Plivo.
  2. Plivo submits the porting request to the gaining carrier. 
  3. The gaining carrier submits the porting request to the losing carrier.
  4. The losing carrier approves or rejects the request. 
  5. If approved, Plivo notifies you of the Firm Order Commitment (FOC), or porting date. 
  6. On the FOC date, Plivo activates the number, tests all capabilities, and notifies you that the process is complete.

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How to gather the information you need

You must have a Plivo Standard account to initiate a port-in request. Before you send the porting request, make sure you have the following documents. 
  • Letter of Authorization (LOA): A signed LOA by the authorized user and/or owner of the number(s). Use our LOA template (Microsoft Word document). This is optional for fixed numbers and mandatory for porting toll-free numbers. Please note that the name and address information on your LOA must match the authorized user name and service address provided to your current carrier.
  • PIN: Depending on the service availability or coverage for a number, we may request a PIN for porting regular US numbers. If you already have a PIN, please include it in the port order.
  • Invoice: Share a copy of your most recent phone bill (ideally within 30 to 60 days from the date of the porting request). It must contain the account name, authorized username, and billing details for the number you want to port. This is an optional entry but improves the chances of a successful porting. 
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. We recommend contacting your current carrier in advance to verify this information. Ask for a customer service record (CSR) from your current carrier and use the information it contains. 

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How to submit your port request

Submitting a port request via the Plivo console is currently available only for the US and Canada. For other countries, submit a port-in request via a support ticket. Users in the US and Canada can 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, select the phone number type, select your preferred port-in date, and add 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.
On the numbers configure screen:
  • Select the capabilities for the numbers (voice or voice+SMS).
  • Enter an alias for the numbers.
  • Select a subaccount for the numbers to ease number management (optional).
  • Enter a caller ID name (CNAM) to help brand your calls (optional).
  • Select theXML,PHLO, or Zentrunk application to which to associate the numbers.
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 to keep your numbers active and avoid downtime.

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Next steps: Routing the requests 

If all the details and documents are acceptable, Plivo will submit the porting request to the gaining carrier. This part of the process takes about a day. The gaining carrier will verify the request and forward it to the losing carrier. The porting request will be shown as pending, and no further action will be required until the losing carrier releases the number. This can take from five to 20 business days. Once the losing carrier verifies and processes the request, you’ll get a status update. The request will either be approved, rejected, or listed as “update required”. If approved, Plivo will receive a Firm Order Commitment (FOC) or a porting date that says when your number will be in service with the gaining carrier. If listed as “update required”, Plivo will reach out to you to re-submit information that requires correction. If rejected, Plivo will reach out to you with an explanation of the rejection causes so you can resubmit the porting request with the correct details. The best way to prevent your porting request from being rejected is to submit the exact information your current carrier has on file. It’s a good idea to contact your carrier to verify this information. You can also get the details from your Customer Service Record (CSR), a document that contains the service address of the phone number that you would like to port. The CSR is required as proof of phone number ownership for all phone number porting requests. If you receive feedback that your request needs to be corrected, Plivo will reach out to provide more specifics of what you need to do next. After correcting or adding missing details, you can resubmit the same porting request. The resubmitted porting request will go through the same cycle of evaluation from the losing carrier. To configure your port-in numbers, go to Phone Numbers > Port-In > Configure Number.

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FOC/porting date

Plivo will send you an email message with your porting date. We will also add the numbers to your account two days before the date of the FOC. By this point, you should have your application set up and ready for your number to avoid any service interruption or downtime for the newly ported number. If this is not completed when you submit the porting request, you can always return to complete the configuration. 

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Why would my porting request be rejected?

Porting requests can be rejected for various reasons: read this guide to learn more. If your porting request is rejected, you’ll have to resubmit the request and wait another five to 20 business days.