Switching phone providers? Keep every number.

Whose name is on the number

Moving a phone number from one provider to another is called porting. Federal rules let you keep your numbers when you change providers in the same area, across landline, internet phone and wireless service. You start with the new provider, not the old one. The new provider sends the request, and the old carrier has to release the numbers.

The catch is that a number belongs to the account it sits on, and only someone with authority on that account can approve the move. We see the same problems again and again:

• The account is still under a former owner, a former office manager or an old company name.
• Numbers are spread over several accounts, sometimes with different carriers, and nobody has the full list.
• A reseller or IT provider set up the service in its own name, so your company isn't the account holder.
• The account PIN or portal login left with an employee.

Fix those before you sign anything new. Contracts we place go in your company's name, so the numbers stay yours the next time you switch. Buying a company with its own numbers? Read what to check in its telecom before closing.

Why ports get rejected

The old carrier checks your request against its own records, field by field. If something doesn't match, it sends the request back, and the clock starts over when you fix it. The usual reasons:

• Name or address mismatch. The request says the current company name, but the account is under the old one. Or the service address on file is a suite number you left years ago.
• Wrong account number or PIN. Business accounts often have a billing account number and a separate account for the service. Use the one the old carrier asks for.
• Partial ports. Moving some numbers and leaving others on the account needs to be spelled out, or the old carrier may treat the request as incomplete.
• Numbers the carrier doesn't show. A number that isn't on the customer service record for that account won't port on that request.

Under FCC rules, a simple port has to be done within one business day of a complete, accurate request, and a port that isn't simple within four business days. Business ports with many lines often fall in the second group, and fixing a rejected request adds days. Build that time into the schedule before you set a go-live date or give notice on the old contract. Our multi-location VoIP buyer's guide covers the rest of that checklist.

Two kinds of numbers need extra care. Toll-free numbers move through their own process, so ask the new provider to handle them as a separate step. And some lines aren't phones at all: fire alarm panels and elevators often dial out on an old copper line. Read why your fire panel still needs a line before you cancel anything, and check that 911 knows which building each phone is in once the move is done. Moving to Teams Phone? How each Teams calling option handles your numbers is worth a read first.

How we help

We've been an independent advisor since 2003 and we're in Sugar Grove, Ohio. We help businesses across the US, with one office or hundreds, choose phones, internet, data center, cloud and managed security, and we handle the switch. On a phone project that means we collect the bills and records, build the list of every number, check it against the old carrier's records, and stay on the port with the new provider until every number has moved. Contracts go in your company's name. See our hosted VoIP and multi-site management pages for more.

How we get paid: the carriers and partners pay us a monthly commission of 5% to 18% of what you spend with them, and your price is the same as going direct. We put that in writing before you sign.

Sources (checked November 4, 2026)

• FCC: Porting, keeping your phone number when you change providers
• 47 CFR 52.35, Porting intervals