Porting Phone Numbers

Number porting allows you to bring your existing phone numbers over to WebFones.

Important Things to Know About Porting

• We have limited control over the timing. Ports typically complete within 3–5 business days, but they can sometimes occur overnight. Be fully prepared before submitting your request.
• The information you provide must match exactly what your previous provider has on file for your physical address. PO Boxes are not accepted. If the information does not match, the losing carrier may reject the request.
• Once your port date is scheduled, the transition should be seamless. One moment your old system receives calls; the next moment WebFones does.

After the scheduled port time, we recommend placing a test call from a mobile phone to confirm that the number is working properly.

This page outlines transition strategies and provides a step-by-step guide for using the Porting Wizard.

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Transition Strategies

Some customers choose to forward their existing number to a temporary number prior to porting. This allows their WebFones system to go live immediately. However, there are drawbacks:

• The old provider may limit the number of simultaneous forwarded calls (“call paths”), which could require purchasing additional capacity.
• Call quality may be affected because calls pass through the old carrier before reaching WebFones.
• Testing the number after porting becomes more difficult if the old provider still has a forward in place.

A more reliable strategy is to follow this timeline:

• Set up your phones and network using a temporary number to test call quality. Leave old phones active.
• Submit your port request. This typically takes 3–5 days. Do not cancel service with your old provider yet.
• Wait for WebFones to notify you that your number has ported.
• After performing successful test calls from a cell phone, contact your old provider to cancel service.

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Porting Wizard Tutorial

To begin porting your number to WebFones, you’ll need:

• A recent phone bill (within the last 30 days)
• The account number for your losing carrier
• A PIN if you are porting a mobile number

Note: This process must be repeated for each account you are porting numbers from. If you have multiple billing accounts or locations, complete the wizard separately for each. Toll-free numbers must also be ported using their own request.

Steps

Step 1. In the WebFones Administrator interface, go to Wizards and choose Port Existing Number.

Step 2. Enter your current account information and the numbers you wish to port. If your phone bill does not list a Billing Telephone Number (BTN), select one of the numbers you are porting. Do not use an unrelated contact number.

Step 3. Click Validate. This checks for formatting issues. If everything is correct, the button will change to Next—click it.

Step 4. Enter the physical address associated with the numbers. PO Boxes will be rejected automatically.

Step 5. Upload your most recent phone bill as a PDF under 5MB.
If the file is too large, print only the first page to PDF and upload that copy.

Step 6. (Optional) Configure the initial destination for your phone number.
If someone else is helping configure your system, you may skip this and set routing later.

Step 7. Electronically sign your port authorization form.

Step 8. Click Finish.

Important:
Do not cancel or modify your existing phone service until WebFones confirms that all numbers have successfully ported.

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Troubleshooting an Address Mismatch

If a port request is rejected due to an address mismatch—even when you provided the correct address—the issue may be that your old provider has an incorrect address associated