Porting is the transfer of a phone number between two service providers.
If you have an existing number you would like to keep, you can initiate a port request and assign it to a user or to a shared line in Dialpad. If you are new to the porting process, please read below for a quick overview.
What to Expect When Porting
When porting a number, the provider through which you currently have service is referred to as the ‘losing’ carrier while the new provider that you're porting a number to is referred to as the ‘winning’ carrier.
All port requests originate from the ‘winning’ carrier (in this case, Dialpad). You cannot initiate a port request from the ‘losing’ carrier. Some information related to your current service will be required.
We suggest requesting a Customer Service Record (CSR) from your losing carrier as this will include all the pertinent info you need to provide to Dialpad.
Local Porting vs Toll-Free Porting
Dialpad can initiate port requests for US-based local or toll-free numbers.
Requests for local ports can take as little as 3-5 business days to complete if there are no issues with the information provided. If there is a discrepancy between the information provided on the request and what the losing carrier has on file, porting can take upwards of 2 weeks. Generally, porting takes around 7 days on average to complete.
Toll-free ports can take 5-10 business days. In either case, while your number is being ported it will continue to work. Again, an issue with the information initially provided will increase the processing time.
Can I port in a Google Voice number?
Yes, you can port a Google Voice number. Before requesting a port for your Google Voice number, you'll first need to unlock it through your Google account.
If you are porting in a Google Voice number from an organization using Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), use these instructions from Google Support.
Where can I assign local numbers vs toll-free numbers?
Local numbers can be assigned to the following:
- Team Members
- Main Line
- Departments
- Call Queues
- Room Phones
Toll-free numbers can be assigned to the following:
- Main Line
- Departments
- Call Queues
- Room Phones
Can I port an international number?
Depending on your location, Dialpad can port your international numbers. Contact our sales team to inquire about your country's eligibility.
For Canadian numbers, Admins can fill out a Letter of Authorization.
Can I port in an existing fax number?
No, not at this time. You or your Office Admin will need to choose from the numbers available when adding a fax line.
Can I port out my fax number?
No. We use a third-party service for our fax services and do not own those numbers.
Does porting cost money?
There is no charge for a one-time port in the United States, but porting multiple DIDs will incur a per-port fee. If you'd like to know more about porting fees for the U.S. and other countries, contact our Sales Team.
Once a number is ported and assigned in Dialpad, your account will be charged a rate based on where the number was assigned (i.e. a user line, a Department number, etc.).
Can I port a number before getting a Dialpad account?
We require that you have a paid subscription to Dialpad before offering the ability to port in any existing numbers.
Should I cancel my current service before making a port request?
No. Do not cancel your current service before making a port request. Wait until after the port request is successful before reaching out to your carrier to close the account.
Will you notify me when my port request is complete?
Yes. When the port is completed, the Dialpad Administrator that requested it will receive an email confirmation. If the number was ported to a team member, they too will receive an email confirmation.
Why is my number not portable?
If you get a message stating that your number is ineligible to port, it may not actually be. Please reach out to porting@dialpad.com to confirm. There are some numbers that will show up as ineligible but this simply means that the Dialpad Porting team will need to submit your port request manually, on your behalf. (All international, toll free, Canadian, and Hawaiian numbers must be submitted manually.)
If your number turns out to not be portable, even manually, this is because our carriers do not have LNP (local number portability) coverage in the area where your number is located. Likely, numbers that are not portable are located in very rural areas. Please keep in mind that where your number is located can be different from where you may actually be located so even if you are in a bigger city, your number could be registered in a suburb of that city or somewhere completely different.
Dialpad is happy to offer you a new number if your number is not portable. Unfortunately, if we’re not able to port a number, we won’t be able to offer a new number with the same area code and exchange (the middle 3 numbers of your phone number) either. We can oftentimes assign a new number with the same area code as your non-portable number, though.
Do I have to keep my Dialpad number after my port?
Nope! It's your phone system–it should have your Company's number.
When your port completes, reach out to our Support Team to have the assigned Dialpad number permanently removed from your account.
Keep in mind that if you do not request to have one of your Dialpad assigned numbers removed, your account will be charged for your Dialpad number and ported number.
Why was my porting request rejected?
If your porting request was rejected, it means we were missing a piece of required information.
Common rejection reasons include:
- Forename or family/company name is wrong or does not match
- Incorrect MBN for DID Range
- Incorrect postcode or address (no PO Boxes, please!)
- The Claimant of the porting is an unauthorized signatory
- The Google Voice number is not unlocked
- Inactive number(s)
- Pending order on the account
- More than 1 port request was submitted to the losing carrier.
Why is my caller ID not displaying?
There is no one central database for Caller ID (known as CNAM), and also no requirement that a particular carrier must lookup the CNAM (called a CNAM dip).
It's up to the receiving carrier of your outbound call to display CNAM on their subscriber's phones. If the subscribers have not enabled this service with their carriers, then your CNAM may not display on their devices. By default, the destination carriers may display the rate center, locality of the caller's number instead, where no CNAM value is found.
It is worth noting that the industry-wide CNAM service is not generally used by Wireless Carriers. Meaning, if you dial a wireless/mobile device, your CNAM may not display on their device. The only way around this is if the subscriber includes the name as a contact in their phone book.
Want more information on caller ID? Have a read through this Help Center article for more details.