Terminology
Direct Inward Dialing (DID) Number: Any real phone number.
Porting: The process by which a phone number is moved from one carrier to another.
Gaining Service Provider (GSP)/Gaining Carrier: The provider who takes over the phone number. This carrier initiates and maintains the porting process.
Losing Service Provider (LSP)/Losing Carrier: The provider who releases the phone number. This carrier takes a passive role in the porting process, typically only approving or denying the request.
Letter of Authorization (LOA): An official document signed by the account holder confirming they wish to transfer their phone number(s) from the LSP to the GSP.
Customer Service Record (CSR): A document detailing all the legal ownership attributes of a phone number and the account in which it belongs. These are generated by the LSP only by a direct request from the account holder.
Porting PIN/Port Protection Number: A security feature assigned to a phone number by the current carrier to prevent accidental porting. PIN information will not appear on a CSR, and must be requested directly by the account holder. All DIDs on PrimeVOX's network are protected from unauthorized port outs using PINs.
Slamming: Porting a phone number without authorization to do so. Resellers who perform an unauthorized port that is later "snatched back" by the LSP will incur a $400 slamming fee per phone number.
Background
Porting is the process of transferring a phone number from one provider to another. This process is initiated by the provider requesting to take control of the number, the Gaining Service Provider (GSP). The current provider, known as the Losing Service Provider (LSP), can only approve or reject the request based on specific, industry-standard criteria. As a result, LSP involvement is often fully automated.
The porting process takes an average of 5 to 7 business days to complete. Errors with the porting information provided by a GSP as well as Federal Holidays can increase porting time. Porting only takes place Monday through Friday.
Port Statuses
Submitted - The port request has been submitted to the LSP and is currently awaiting a response. Industry standards allow 72 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) for the LSP to respond to the request.
FOC (Firm Order Commitment) - The LSP has confirmed a date and time for the port. Once a port has reached FOC status, it is inadvisable to attempt to reschedule or cancel the request. If the port date is changed within 48 hours of the FOC date, there is a risk of a line drop. If a line drop occurs, it can take up to 8 hours to restore service to the numbers being ported.
Cancelled - A port request has been cancelled. Port cancellations cannot be reversed.
Exception - The LSP has rejected the port request. This is often due to an error in the provided information. Most port requests can be resubmitted once the error is resolved.
Port Rejection Reasons
Port requests can only be rejected for the following industry standard reasons:
- Customer name mismatch/missing
- Address mismatch/missing
- Contact/Customer Signature missing
- Toll Free Shared/Bundled
- Signature Date missing or Expired
- Sent to Wrong Resp Org
- TFN Not listed on Request
- All Data Mismatch
- LOA/Linking LOA missing
- Illegible LOA
- More Recent LOA
- Unauthorized Contact/customer signature
Submitting Port In Requests
When a number is being ported into PrimeVox, we act as the GSP. As part of our white glove service, PrimeVox staff handle the majority of the porting process and vendor contact for our resellers.
Please submit all port-in requests using our online
Port In Request Form. Once your port-in request has been submitted, you will be supplied with the following information:
- Port name listed in the subject line. (Ex. 123456-T123-Reseller-9999)
- A port order number (PON).
- List of DIDs to be ported.
- LSP information.
- Porting date information.
Submitting Port Out Requests
When a number is being ported away from PrimeVox, we are considered the LSP. These Port-Outs are handled entirely through our automated system, meaning DIDs can only port out of PrimeVox’s network when the correct information is supplied by the GSP. This information includes account details that can be found on the customer's invoice, as well as the customer's porting PIN provided during the initial port-in process.
Once the correct information is submitted and the porting PIN is validated, the number will automatically transfer from PrimeVox to the new carrier at the date and time requested by the GSP. PrimeVox staff do not usually have visibility into pending or previously rejected port-out requests due to it's automated nature.
To request the porting PIN information for any DID associated with your account, please email
support@primevox.net with the subject "Porting PIN Request". Please be sure to include the full list of DIDs you're requesting PIN information for.
Legal
Per
FCC portability rules, once a customer has request service from a new phone provider, PrimeVox cannot refuse to allow a number to port out, even if the customer has an outstanding balance or termination fee, unless there is an error with the port out information provided.
Unauthorized Port Outs
In the event of an unauthorized port out, immediately open a ticket with PrimeVox by emailing
support@primevox.net with the number(s) that ported out to request a Snatch-Back. Significant proof of the error must be provided to process a Snatch-Back request.