Mobile Porting - a brief guide

Mobile porting is the process of switching your mobile number(s) from one mobile network to another. The benefit is that you can switch mobile network (for a better deal, improved coverage etc) without having to change your number and deal with all the inconvenience which that can involve.

In order to book a number port, you will need a PAC from your current mobile provider - this is an authorisation code which your new network provider will use in order to transfer numbers. PACs are easily obtained and can be requested via your online portal, or simply by texting 'PAC' to 65075. The PAC should the passed on to your new provider, who will then book the port on your preferred date. Note PACs are only valid for 30 days from the date they are issued.

In advance of the port date however, there are some things to be aware of. Below is the our guide to mobile porting:

• Before the scheduled day of the port, you should ensure that any contact records stored on your SIM are copied onto your mobile phone, otherwise they will be lost.
  

• On the day of the port, the new mobile network will begin the process of porting your current phone number onto their network and activating your new SIM. This means that from any time in the early morning your existing SIM will cease working. However, until that point, you should continue to use your existing SIM.
  

• If you are keeping your existing phone - when your old SIM stops working or ceases to work fully, remove it from your mobile phone and insert your new SIM in its place (or simply switch to using your new phone if you are upgrading your mobile, which should already have the new SIM installed).
  

• If you are switching to a new mobile at the same time as porting - simply ensure the new SIM is inserted into the new mobile, and when your old SIM stops working or ceases to work fully, start using your new phone.

• Note that the new SIM may not be operational immediately – if this is the case, try rebooting your mobile phone.
  

• Continue to reboot your mobile phone approximately once an hour until the SIM is working (i.e. you can make calls to the same and different networks, receive calls from the same and different networks and access data services - it is important to test all of these aspects).
  

• If issues persist, remove the SIM, wait a few seconds, then reinsert the SIM, reboot the phone and try again.
  

• Most ports will complete within an hour or two, however this will not always be the case and it's impossible to give any guarantees.
  

• If the new SIM is still not fully operational by 3pm on the day of the port, please report this to us via email. However please be aware that the mobile networks state that ports may not complete fully until 8pm, so we are unable to escalate any problems with them until first thing the next morning. Thankfully such delays are rare, but they do happen so contingency measures need to be considered in advance.
  

• When you are happy that no required contact records have been left on the old SIM, it may be cut in two (across the chip) and disposed of.
  

• Finally, you may need to change the default voicemail number on your mobile phone. The voicemail numbers for each network are as follows:

  • EE voicemail : 07953 222 222

  • O2 voicemail : 901

  • Three voicemail : 123

  • Vodafone voicemail : 121

If you have any questions or would like to explore switching mobile networks, or just getting a better deal on your current network, please get in touch.