How do I port phone numbers?

We handle phone number porting smoothly with our step-by-step port-in workflow. In this guide, you'll learn how to submit port-in requests for both regular and toll-free numbers in the Bandwidth App.

Note: Effective September 6, 2023, Bandwidth is introducing automated toll-free port-in processing along with several major enhancements. To learn more about toll-free port-in API changes, see this support article.

• Toll-free numbers are now checked for portability and broken down by responsible organizations (RespOrgs).
• RespOrg exception customers can now port numbers into their Bandwidth App account using the RespOrg ID(s) they own.
• The form now allows you to enter all of the data on one screen and share it across all Carriers and RespOrgs in a bulk port-in, eliminating the need for multiple and repetitive data-entry steps across orders.

How do I port phone numbers? 

1. Log in to the Bandwidth App.
2. In the side navigation bar, select Numbers and click Port.
3. In the Phone numbers field, enter the phone numbers you’d like to port (separate them using commas or spaces) and click Check Portability.
4. If the breakdown process is taking a while, you’ll have the option to be notified by email when it's done. To do so, enter your email in the Email Address field and click Notify Me.

Alternatively, you can switch to the Finish A Draft tab and track the breakdown status in the Breakdown field. To see the most recent status, please refresh the page. Once the breakdown is complete, click Resume to continue with your port-in order.

Note: Refreshing the page will take you back to the Start With New Numbers tab, so you’ll need to click the Finish A Draft tab again to return to this page.

5. Once the validation process is complete, all portable numbers will appear in the Porting Breakdown section. Regular numbers will be grouped by losing carrier and appear under Carriers, while toll-free numbers will be grouped by controlling RespOrg and appear under RespOrgs. If you have more than one group, the system will create a bulk port-in that will serve as a collection of individual port-in orders. When you’re ready to begin the port-in process, click Start Port Request.

Note: For toll-free numbers, only those RespOrg IDs that have been configured as RespOrg Exception on your account will be displayed. All other RespOrg IDs will appear generically as RespOrg 1, RespOrg 2, etc. 

6. To make it easier to enter information across multiple individual port-in orders, you have the option to complete a shared form and apply its data to some or all of those orders. Depending on the phone numbers you’re porting, you’ll see one or more of the following shared forms:
   • If you have only toll-free numbers, you’ll see Share to RespOrgs.
   • If you have only regular numbers, you’ll see Share to Carriers.
   • If you have a mix of regular and toll-free numbers, you’ll see Share to all forms.
   • If you have a mix of regular and toll-free numbers and more than one losing carrier, you’ll see both Share to all forms and Share to Carriers.

After entering any shared data, click Apply on the Shared Info item on the left.

Note: If it doesn’t make sense to share fields across regular or toll-free port-ins, or you’d rather complete this info separately for each order, click Skip this step at the top of the page.

7. Any info you choose to share across all Carriers and/or RespOrgs will be indicated by a Shared label. You can override this on any particular order by entering new info in the provided fields.
8. For regular number port-ins, complete the Billing Telephone Number (BTN), End User Account Information, Service Address, and Documents & Supplemental Information sections for each Carrier, and click Continue.

For toll-free number port-ins, complete the Person authorizing this port (Name on LOA), Target RespOrg ID, and Customer Order ID fields, as well as the File(s) section for each RespOrg, and click Continue.

Note: The Letter of Authorization (LOA) for toll-free port-ins is only supported in PDF and TIFF formats.

9. On the Group & Schedule Activation Dates page, select the preferred activation date and time for each of your bulk ports.

Note: Because toll-free ports must be activated at the default time of 11:30 AM ET, the Requested activation time (ET) field isn’t available for this type of bulk port.

Important: If at least one of the individual ports within a bulk port must be activated at 11:30 AM, all of the ports within that bulk port will also be activated at 11:30 AM. If you’d like a particular port to be activated at a different time, you can detach it from the bulk port. 

10. Review your port orders and select the Sub-account and Location where you’d like to port the numbers. Once you’re ready to place the order, click Submit.

Note: All port-ins belonging to the same bulk port must use the same Sub-account and Location.

Questions? Please open a ticket with your Bandwidth Support Team or hit us up at (855) 864-7776!