Number porting to GV - my experience

naizarak · August 23, 2013, 10:40:00 AM

Quote from: dircom on August 22, 2013, 08:37:32 AM
get a new sim card for your go phone to use temporarily to port.
once the port happens, install your original sim
that way you will not use your original phn #

yeah i figured they'd have no way of restoring my old number, so i just followed the tut. and bought a new tmobile card(which ended up being the cheapest option anyways)

also worth mentioning that GV will need your tmobile PIN to complete the port. to set the pin, call 611 from your tmobile phone, select "manage my account", and you'll be able to setup a pin

SWP1 · December 04, 2013, 12:11:59 PM

I have an ATT landline that I am trying to rescue. It is a Uverse number. Called the ATT porting department and they tell me that Tmobile can request it and it is available. Tmobile says it is not portable. ATT says it nmay be outside their area... What area are they referring to?

Little bit frustrated, bit not giving up!

sdb- · December 04, 2013, 10:05:54 PM

It takes two to tango. The 'losing' carrier must give up the number, and the 'winning' carrier must take it. If either one is incapable, it cannot happen. If they are merely reluctant or incompetent, remedies exist, it just takes longer.

It sounds like in your case, T-Mobile is the 'winning' carrier, and they cannot take that number.

When porting a number, the 'winning' carrier must be able to receive/service that number in the rate center to which it belongs.

In other words, if you are trying to port a Kalamazoo number, the 'winning' carrier must be able to handle the Kalamazoo prefix you are trying to port.

Try a different carrier. Maybe a TracPhone or AT&T GoPhone (is that still the current brand for AT&T prepaid?) or Virgin Mobile.

SedonaSky · October 22, 2014, 04:19:10 PM

I finished my porting from CableOne to T-mobile three days ago but Google Voice says the number is not yet available for porting with this message:

"Your mobile number can not be ported at this time.
This number appears to be from an area we don't currently support for porting."

Has anyone recently ported from T-mobile also had to wait many days? For reference, I am on the T-mobile 'pay as you go plan'.

Thank you

dircom · October 22, 2014, 04:59:46 PM

You can not port just any mobile number. It has to be from an area that GV supports porting from.

Taoman · October 22, 2014, 05:09:12 PM

Quote from: SedonaSky on October 22, 2014, 04:19:10 PM

Has anyone recently ported from T-mobile also had to wait many days? For reference, I am on the T-mobile 'pay as you go plan'.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you can't port your number to Google Voice since you're in an area (rate center) that Google doesn't support. I would have thought you would have checked if your number could be ported to GV first before porting to T-mobile.

You can try Ring.To but since they use the same underlying CLEC it is unlikely that you'll be able to port to there either.

dircom · October 22, 2014, 05:20:09 PM

if you enter your area code and prefix, you can check to see if Bandwidth.com has a presence in the central office

https://www.telcodata.us/search-area-code-exchange-detail?npa=972&exchange=241

or
http://www.localcallingguide.com/lca_prefix.php?npa=123&nxx=456

although I just ported a number last month to Ring.to , from 918-743-xxxx, and nothing shows up but Southwestern Bell
so perhaps I don't understand what I have read in the forums on how to check

but if you put in 716-489 for example, you DO SEE that Bandwidth.com is listed
but if you put in 716-357 (a town about 20 miles away) you don't see Bandwidth.com listed

SedonaSky · October 23, 2014, 09:54:38 AM

What I do not understand is that I was able to transfer this number from Qwest to Cableone 4 years ago, and last week from Cableone to T-Mobile. It seems that the number is still owned by Qwest.

The phone number is 928-649-xxxx if that helps anyone analyze my predicament.

Can anyone recommend another third party solution to fix my problem of getting my number on Obitalk (or at least Google Voice)?

If I can perhaps port 928-649-xxxx to a service that just forwards numbers inexpensively, that would be all I need at the moment..

Any suggestions?

Thank you

SteveInWA · October 23, 2014, 02:30:11 PM

It's already been explained to you, both here and on the GV forum, why you can't port your number to GV.

https://productforums.google.com/d/topic/voice/kcVvtuet2K8/discussion

Port it to some other carrier that can accept it.

dadab · November 17, 2014, 04:01:00 PM

Is the process of transferring t-mobile postpaid # is as simple as submitting my t-mobile account #? I just did that and it did not ask me for a pin? Is that normal?

SteveInWA · November 18, 2014, 01:18:04 AM

Quote from: dadab on November 17, 2014, 04:01:00 PM
Is the process of transferring t-mobile postpaid # is as simple as submitting my t-mobile account #? I just did that and it did not ask me for a pin? Is that normal?

Hi: in some cases, the initial porting request form isn't asking for the PIN. After you submit the form, it will then generate an error, about a missing PIN or SSN. At that point, you can enter the required PIN and SSN, and re-submit the form.

Please see the complete instructions and FAQ answers here:

https://support.google.com/voice/answer/1065667

Note that, although the instructions mention a 24-hour elapsed time period, outbound calling will typically move over around that time, and it may take another day or two for inbound calling and text messaging to move over. If you have problems, please post your issue over on the GV help forum. Good luck!

zorlac · November 28, 2014, 09:58:18 PM

I ported a Verizon pots land line to RingTo and that went smoothly, I wonder if there's a chance I could port that same # from RT to GV?

SteveInWA · November 28, 2014, 10:02:25 PM

Nope. Google Voice's porting system only accepts ports-in from mobile numbers. VoIP numbers are classified as land lines. You'd need to first port it to a prepaid mobile phone service, wait at least a few days to a week after doing so, and then port it to GV.

Kendsie · February 07, 2015, 01:01:29 PM

So, if i already have a TMOBILE prepaid plan, and i port over to it, will i lose that current tmobile phone number? How can I use the same TMOBILE phone and port my number. I dont understand, can I buy another sim card, get another number, port from century link to that number, port from that number to google voice, and what happens to my original TMOBILE number. How do I keep that number too, with the same phone?
thanks all

SteveInWA · February 07, 2015, 05:24:15 PM

Quote from: Kendsie on February 07, 2015, 01:01:29 PM
So, if i already have a TMOBILE prepaid plan, and i port over to it, will i lose that current tmobile phone number? How can I use the same TMOBILE phone and port my number. I dont understand, can I buy another sim card, get another number, port from century link to that number, port from that number to google voice, and what happens to my original TMOBILE number. How do I keep that number too, with the same phone?
thanks all

Your question is unclear. Do you now have a land line phone that you want to turn into a Google Voice number? If so, then you would first port it to a prepaid mobile carrier like T-Mobile or AT&T GoPhone. When you do this, you are starting NEW service with the prepaid mobile carrier, on a NEW SIM card. After this is finished, and the land line has been fully ported over to the mobile phone service ("fully ported" means, both inbound and outbound calling works), THEN you would perform a second port, this time, from that temporary prepaid mobile phone service over to Google Voice. This has nothing to do with any existing mobile phone service you have, and it won't change that service.

rickyboy · February 18, 2015, 06:03:24 PM

Hey Guys!

Sorry to hijack this thread but I recently ported my Verizon Landline to a T-Mobile Prepaid so I can port it to GV.

The request started last Sunday (Feb 15) and the next day I got a text message saying:

"Welcome to T-Mobile! Dial #BAL# to check your balances. Your T-Mobile number is xxx-xxx-xxxx" which is my ported number.

Now, I can call out, receive calls, text, receive text with my ported number. Looks like the port successfully worked.

However, all guides (including this one) says that WAIT for a text confirmation that the PORT has been completed BEFORE porting it to GV.

Can anyone share what the body of this confirmation Text message look like? Also, how long did you wait before you received this message?

I'm currently waiting for 76 hours since I called last Sunday.

Thanks!

SteveInWA · February 18, 2015, 06:39:14 PM

Hi:

I don't know what you read, that says to "wait for text confirmation". That's not accurate. The issue is that you simply need to wait for your port from your landline carrier to your mobile carrier to be fully complete. That means, you can both make outbound calls, and you can receive inbound calls.

I usually recommend that people give it another day or two after that, so that, when Google queries the NPAC porting database, your number's new carrier is now listed.

Given how long you have waited, go ahead and submit the port request. If it comes back with the "porting from your carrier isn't supported" message, just try again another day. If it comes back with the "porting from your area isn't supported" message, then you won't be able to port in that number at all.

Follow the instructions, here: https://support.google.com/voice/answer/1065667

rickyboy · February 18, 2015, 07:14:03 PM

Quote from: SteveInWA on February 18, 2015, 06:39:14 PM
Hi:

I don't know what you read, that says to "wait for text confirmation". That's not accurate. The issue is that you simply need to wait for your port from your landline carrier to your mobile carrier to be fully complete. That means, you can both make outbound calls, and you can receive inbound calls.

I usually recommend that people give it another day or two after that, so that, when Google queries the NPAC porting database, your number's new carrier is now listed.

Given how long you have waited, go ahead and submit the port request. If it comes back with the "porting from your carrier isn't supported" message, just try again another day. If it comes back with the "porting from your area isn't supported" message, then you won't be able to port in that number at all.

Follow the instructions, here: https://support.google.com/voice/answer/1065667

Thank you! Looked like that worked. Initially it gave me an error that my PIN is wrong and after putting the last 4 digits of my Social + PIN - the error went away and it is now in process.

Thanks Again! Hopefully everything goes through.

jpw94 · February 24, 2015, 06:57:51 AM

Porting process to t-mobile from my VOIP provider took less than a day.
The kit I bought on Amazon was ok as well. However, there was no complimentary minutes (which I was expecting) and you need to buy $10 worth of service to use the phone so that you can port it over to GV.I only paid $4.99 for the card but I had to add that $10 to the total. Wondering if there's a specific card that can be bought with that 5 minutes added on activation? I need to port another number and I don't want to have to pay another $10.

Thanks for any suggestions.

jra85 · March 10, 2015, 05:52:05 PM

Quote from: jpw94 on February 24, 2015, 06:57:51 AM
The kit I bought on Amazon was ok as well.

Can you please tell me what to search for to find this "porting kit" (or PM me the direct link)? Curious if it's cheaper than just walking into a T-Mobile store and asking to port my existing number to a prepaid SIM. Thanks!

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Number porting to GV - my experience