What is number porting?

Number porting, also known as LNP (Local Number Portability), is an important service offering at REMAC. Depending on the carrier, the process for number porting can be simple and easy, or lengthy and complex. REMAC’s mission is to provide the easiest and best experience possible, but it requires cooperation from all parties involved to achieve success. This LNP guide was put together with these goals and challenges in mind so that it can be a useful tool to help guide customers through the porting process as smoothly as possible.

Understanding Number Porting

Number portability is required to be performed by local exchange carriers (LECs) and Interconnected VoIP providers in accordance with rules and procedures established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). However, within the structure of the FCC requirements, carriers may have individualized systems and processes for handling porting activity. Thus, while carriers’ LNP operations are largely similar and intended to accomplish the same end results, there are unique differences in processes and procedures from one to the next. Some of these unique differences are what can make or break an easy LNP process. At the outset, here are some basic rules of thumb to follow that work for the vast majority of all port requests:

Do not disconnect services with current carrier

• The authorized End User (EU) of a number should never disconnect services with their current carrier prior to submitting a port request. Disconnected or inactive numbers cannot be ported. In fact, in order for porting to occur most smoothly, EUs generally should not inform their current provider that they intend to transfer their service to a new carrier. The EU may, however, contact their carrier to attempt to obtain documentation of their account or the Customer Service Record (CSR), which is described more fully below. The end user will also want to make sure there are no freezes that would prevent porting activity on the current account, and be sure to have any applicable PINs, passwords, and account numbers ready for use when making a request to port numbers to a new carrier.

Do provide accurate porting information

• Address information for wireline and VoIP LNP requests (i.e. excluding toll-free and wireless porting) should be provided as the service address, not a billing address. Often the billing address is not representative of where the number that is being ported is actually in service, and it is the service location that matters most for LNP processes. Additionally, the authorized EU should be sure that any and all additional information pertaining to their account (e.g. full port/partial port, passcodes, account numbers, etc.) is provided and is accurate.

Porting Types and Time Frames

REMAC with their underlaying carriers abides by applicable FCC standards, requirements and recommendations for number porting. Because the type of port request submitted can affect porting timeframes -­ some of which are recommended and others required – this guide should provide a better idea of what to expect. Keep in mind however, industry standards and practices are subject to change. If an order is taking longer than indicated below, and has not received a rejection of any kind, please contact the REMAC LNP team for assistance.

Note that all time intervals presented below are contingent upon the authorized EU’s information provided to REMAC being correct so that it matches the current/losing carrier’s applicable records. If the requisite information does not match, the time interval for porting will be longer. Please keep in mind that because REMAC cannot predict any errors in processing, or the behaviors of other carriers, all quoted times below are REMAC’s goal to get the order completed, and cannot be guaranteed for all cases.

If you have any questions or need help with porting numbers to REMAC you can always send email to [email protected] or call our support line: (866) 800-0707