You asked your new provider to port your number but it during that process it was rejected, why?
Here are 8 main reasons why that could have happened.
When you're transferring your number to a new provider, the last thing anyone wants to hear is, "The port was rejected."
In almost every case this can be easily prevented by simply making sure that the information you provide to your new provider is exactly what is listed on your phone bill for the number you are porting.
If you don't have a phone bill, or you're simply unsure of the specific information your current/losing carrier should have all this information readily available to you.
Contact them and ask for a Customer Service Report (CSR).
Don't forget to ask if there's anything else they will require to release your number.
Carriers who are losing a phone number are notorious for rejecting a port request for the tiniest discrepancy, as you will see below.
HERE'S WHY YOUR PORT WAS REJECTED
1. Name and/or Address Mismatch
This one is at the top of the list because it's probably the most common reason that any port may be rejected.
This can be a tricky one because the address on file with the losing carrier may not be your current address, or even anything close to what you thought it was.
Don't just submit your current address as it has to be the exact address they have for you.
2. Invalid Zip Code, Incorrect Billing Telephone Number, or Incorrect Account Number
Not only submitting an incorrect address, but even one misspelt digit in your zip code is a red flag for the losing carrier.
Also, be sure that the BTN (Billing Telephone Number) and the account number is error-free.
It is not a bad idea to double and triple-check these items to make sure they're perfectly spelt and accurate.
3. Unauthorized Contact or Customer Signature
There is only one person who is authorized to make a port request for any number, and that is the main account holder.
Just because you are using the number, that doesn't necessarily mean that you have the authority to request one initiate a transfer.
If anyone other than the primary account holder puts his or her name on the port request, the losing carrier is very likely to turn it down.
4. Invalid or Incorrect PIN
This tends to be tricky for people because they assume that if they have never used a PIN for the account with their provider, then it doesn't exist.
You may have never seen your PIN before, even though you had one the whole time but didn't realize it.
Sometimes a PIN isn't even generated until you submit the port request. Here's what you need to remember:
1) All wireless carriers require a PIN (usually 4 digits), or in rare cases some kind of password, to port away a number to a different carrier.
2) If you don't know your PIN code, or you're not sure if there is one, call your carrier and JUST ASK as they will tell you what it is.
3) If a PIN is required and you don't provide it, you can be sure that your port request will be rejected.
5. Number is Locked
Google Voice has a special feature for their numbers that many of their users aren't even aware of.
When you decide to port your Google Voice number to another carrier, they will charge you a fee (often around $3), and you will need to "unlock" your number.
This is easily and quickly done, but if you neglect this step, they will reject it.
6. Inactive Account or Not in Good Standing
Has it been a while since you used the number you are attempting to port?
Have you missed a payment or two?
If so, then there's a chance your provider has labelled your account "inactive" or deleted it entirely, in which case the number cannot be ported.
Unpaid balances have the potential to disallow your port.
Also, prepaid wireless numbers (some of the toughest to port) that have no available credit cannot be ported.
You must add credit to a prepaid account before a port will be permitted.
7. All Data Mismatch
If your porting agent tells you this was the reason for rejection, you might ask yourself if the number you are attempting to port even belonged to you in the first place.
"All data mismatch" means that every piece of information you provided was wrong, so it's possible that the number is on a different account than you thought it was or you submitted the wrong number.
8. Spelling Error
Once you've exhausted every other possible reason for rejection and can't figure out what is wrong, just double-check the spelling of everything.
Once again, losing carriers will reject a port request for tiniest inconsistency so it's a good idea to double-check everything: address, zip code, account number and especially the phone number you're porting.
If you take nothing else away from this article, remember this:
When your port is rejected, the best thing you can do is communicate with your old service provider to find out exactly why they are rejecting the port.
Don't Shoot the Messenger
Last, but not least, be nice to the person at your new provider, who is facilitating the port.
Your port represents new business for them, so they want to be sure that your number is transferred successfully.
Keep in mind that prying away a number from your old provider tends to be very difficult, and if it gets rejected, it probably wasn't the facilitator's fault.
If your port request is rejected, there's no need to panic.
Chances are, it was due to some piece of information that doesn't match what they have in their records.
Take the time to call your provider, ask for a Customer Service Report, and have it submitted again.
It might take a little longer than you anticipated, but it's very seldom that a number is flat-out not portable.
Porting away from us:
We often get port-out requests for numbers that turn out to be initiated, not by the number owner but by someone that has bad intentions.
Therefore we need you to start the termination process as the service for that number with us needs to be terminated anyway (otherwise services may continue and be charged when you don't want them anymore) and this will also create the invoice for port-out cost if these should be applicable (more and more countries are charging for that).
Once we receive this full termination request, in case of porting including the provider that will initiate the port out request, we will automatically allow the porting for that new provider to move forward.
If you need any specific information to have them start the porting request, you will also be able to get that from us once the termination request has been processed.
If we get a port out request and we are not aware of this, we will try to reach out to you about it but as the window is so small we will reject the porting if we do not receive confirmation and a completed termination request in time.
This is so we can prevent a possible rogue entity from 'kidnapping' your number with all consequences that that brings (once a porting process is started it is usually impossible to stop it).
We do not make it difficult for you to port a number out!
We are not the kind of company that would try to hold you hostage when you want to move on.
Out of interest and as a learning process we may ask you why or what we can do to change your mind, but that's it and we will support you still.
Source: Parts of these explanations/texts have been created by other, independent, external parties.
Last updated: 01/01/2024
© Voyced
All information provided is copyrighted and purely informative in nature. It is maintained by Voyced with the greatest of care using reliable sources only.
Given the fast evolution of the telecom sector, Voyced does not offer any guarantee about the accuracy and completeness of the information offered.
We explicitly do not give anyone permission to use this information in any other way than to inform themselves about what (legal) requirements there may be and they need to comply with when registering Services and/or DIDs with Voyced.
