Index:
- What is porting?
- Porting basics
- The porting process
- Text messaging requirements
- Other porting questions
What is porting?
Porting a phone number is the act of transferring a phone number from the current carrier to a new carrier. Porting allows you to use Talkroute service and its features while keeping your existing phone number(s).
⚠️ Important: What Porting Means
When you port your phone number to Talkroute, the phone number will be removed from your current service provider/device. This may disconnect your current provider's phone service unless you request a replacement number with them or have a second line. This is not the same as adding the number as a forwarding destination.
If you're unsure how porting will affect your account or service, please contact your current provider before proceeding.
Porting your phone number is an essential process that provides many benefits to individuals and businesses alike. If you have any questions or concerns about porting your phone number, please don't hesitate to reach out to us for assistance!
Porting basics 📋
Why port my phone number instead of forwarding calls from it?
Porting your phone allows you to use all the features Talkroute has to offer. Porting a number has benefits, such as:
- Place outgoing calls from multiple devices using your ported number as caller ID
- Send and receive text messages with your number and allow other users to respond and create new messages
You can forward your existing number to your new Talkroute phone number by contacting your carrier directly or using a call forwarding code such as *72. This option is best if you wish to have callers that dial your existing number be forwarded to your Talkroute system but still retain the number on the original device.
Forwarding Note
While forwarding is a good short-term solution, outgoing calls and texts using our service will only show from your Talkroute virtual numbers, not from your forwarded number.
If you forward an existing number to your Talkroute phone number, every caller that dials your existing number will be first forwarded to your Talkroute phone system. You cannot use the number you are forwarding from to also receive incoming calls.
If there are any issues with call forwarding to your Talkroute Virtual Phone Number (such as calls not reaching your Talkroute number), the forwarding carrier must be contacted directly for support, as we cannot troubleshoot or control forwarding behavior on their network.
Pricing 💰
- If a port request is submitted during a trial period, the trial will end at that time
- Port orders can only be submitted with a paid Talkroute account
- We do not charge standard porting fees for local or toll-free numbers.
- However, large or bulk porting requests may incur additional processing fees. If applicable, our team will inform you ahead of time.
- Additional phone number addon fees may apply. Each plan includes a set number of virtual phone numbers.
- Additional numbers outside of the included amount (new or ported) cost $5/month each. You can review your plan details at https://talkroute.com/pricing/
Some carriers may charge a port out or unlock fee to release your number for porting. Talkroute does not cover any fees your carrier may charge for porting your number away or from an early contract termination.
Porting Overview 📝
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Request to port a phone number under your account, listing your current carrier.
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Information and documents will be collected after a Talkroute porting agent reviews your request and contacts you via email.
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Talkroute submits the port order once your information has been verified, and LOA has been signed. Your number(s) will continue to work with your carrier while porting is in process.
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Your current carrier receives the request order and approves or denies the port.
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If rejected, we provide the rejection notes and help you correct information for resubmission.
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A port date is set after your port order is approved.
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Your number activates on Talkroute's network on the release date and the number will stop working with the previous carrier.
The porting process 🔄
The porting process involves a few key steps that ensure a smooth transition of your phone number to Talkroute:
How do I get started? 🏁
The first step is requesting to port the phone number(s) under your account:
- Visit https://cp.talkroute.com/account#!/phoneNumbers
- Under the "Port Phone Number" area, enter the phone number you wish to port and the carrier of the number
- Select "port number"
- Further instructions are sent via email after your port request has been received and reviewed
A more detailed guide can be viewed here: How to Port Your Existing Phone Number to Talkroute
New to Talkroute?
If you haven't signed up yet, you'll need to activate a Talkroute account first. Sign Up or Book A Demowith us today!
What documents do you need to port my number? 📄
A porting ticket will be created and sent to the primary account admin's email address after your port request has been reviewed. Two documents are required for every port order, an LOA and a Phone Bill:
1. Letter of Authorization (LOA) 📝
You will receive a link in your porting ticket to electronically fill out an LOA. The LOA captures the information your current carrier has on file and authorizes Talkroute to port your phone number(s).
All LOA fields must match what your current carrier has on file. If any info is incorrect on your LOA, it could cause a rejection.
- Customer Billing Name - The account holder's name and company name (if applicable)
- Address Information - The service address on file with your carrier
- Account Information - Account number, billing telephone number, and port-out PIN (if required)
- Phone Numbers - List the phone numbers and their carriers
- Text Messaging - Option to request text messaging upon port completion. Registration required for outgoing messages (see Text messaging requirements).
- Signature - The account holder or authorized user must sign and date the document
2. Phone Number Bill 📱
Your most recent phone bill is also required to port your number to our service. This is needed to verify porting authorization of the number(s) and account information. Make sure the bill:
- Is the most recent copy
- Shows the number(s) you are porting
- If traditional bills aren't available, you can submit a CSR or screenshot from your online account
🔐 Port-Out PIN / Unlock Info
Most wireless and VoIP providers require a port-out PIN or unlock code. This is often different from your account login credentials or a general account PIN. If you're unsure what your port-out PIN is or if you need one, please contact your current provider. The PIN should be entered within the LOA form.
What happens during this process and how long does it take?
Requesting to port a number to Talkroute means that it will be removed from the current device and will be a virtual phone number in Talkroute. The number will continue to work with the current carrier until the port is complete.
Caution! ⚠️
During the porting process, please do not cancel or make any changes to your account with your current provider to avoid rejections and service disruptions.
Once the port is complete, this number will no longer be associated with the previous device or its current service provider. Porting a number may disconnect your phone service with your current provider unless you have a second line with them.
🕒 What to Expect After Submission
Once you've completed your LOA and submitted the required docs, our team will review everything for accuracy. If all information is correct, we'll:
- Send a confirmation email when your number is submitted to the carrier
- Send a follow-up email with the scheduled port date once the order is approved
Most ports complete in about 3-5 business days after submission. Some port orders can take up to 1-4 weeks if a manual port is required or rejections occur. You'll receive status emails throughout the process.
If your request is rejected by your current provider, we'll notify you with the reason and give you the opportunity to correct and resubmit.
💡 Additional Notes
- An inactive version of your port request number(s) will appear under your account. We recommend configuring your number(s) in your Talkroute account before the port completes to avoid downtime.
- If you were issued a temporary Talkroute number, it will be removed once the port is complete (unless you request to keep it)
- Any text messages associated with your temporary number will also be deleted when the number is removed
Text messaging requirements 💬
Text messaging is not automatically enabled for your ported number unless specified in your LOA. This can also be activated for your number at a later time under your account.
If you chose to activate texting on your LOA, please allow for up to 3 business days after your port completion date for text messaging to become active. Full carrier compatibility can take 1-3 additional days.
Text Messaging Regulations ⚠️
Due to industry-wide requirements, sending text messages from local or toll-free numbers requires registration or verification. These steps ensure deliverability and help prevent carrier filtering or blocking.
Want to only receive messages?
- ✅ No registration or verification required
- We can enable incoming messaging after your number is ported
Want to send or reply to messages?
🛑 Registration or verification is required
The process depends on the type of phone number, either Local or Toll-Free:
Local Numbers (10DLC) 📱
- You must have an approved 10DLC registration with Talkroute before sending or replying to messages
- We recommend completing registration before submitting your LOA and bill to help minimize downtime when sending or replying to messages after your number is ported
- Registration approval typically takes a few business days to a week
- If you already have an approved 10DLC registration under your Talkroute account, we can add your local ported numbers to it once the port is complete
- Visit our 10DLC Campaign Registration article to see more info about the registration process
Toll-Free Numbers ☎️
- Text verification can only be submitted by our team after the toll-free number is active in your Talkroute account
- If you are activating text messaging on multiple toll-free numbers at the same time, we can submit a single verification for all of them
- If you already have an approved toll-free verification under your account, any new toll-free numbers you port in will require separate verification. Approved verifications cannot be modified to include additional numbers
- Approval for a verification application can take an average of 1-2 weeks
- Visit our Toll-Free Text Verification article to see more info about the verification process
iMessage Numbers
If the phone numbers you are porting are associated with an iMessage account, they will need to be removed from iMessage in order for text messaging to fully work with Talkroute. Please contact Apple Care support for further questions.
Other porting questions
Most port requests are completed within 3–10 business days. However, some port orders can take up to 1-4 weeks if a manual port is required or rejections occur. The timeline may vary depending on your current provider, the accuracy of submitted information, and whether any errors need to be corrected before submission.
Instructions are sent on how to sign the LOA electronically to the primary admin email address after your port request has been received and reviewed by our team. Please contact us at support@talkroute.com if you have any questions.
If a temporary phone number was provided, it will be removed from the account once your port completes unless you request to keep the number. Any text messages associated with your temporary phone number will be removed once the number is removed. An inactive version of the number you are requesting to port will appear under your account.
No! We give you access to inactive versions of the numbers you have requested to port your account. This means you can set up greetings, call routing settings, and voice mailboxes on your numbers before the port completes. We recommend configuring the numbers ahead of time to minimize any potential downtime. If you need help with navigating the account or setup assistance, book a free live setup consultation with us here: https://talkroute.com/getting-started/
You own your number! We port your number from your current carrier and maintain it. We follow the FCC's guidelines on local number portability and you can see more info on that here: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/porting-keeping-your-phone-number-when-you-change-providers
You are able to port your number away from an active account with Talkroute. A porting PIN needs to be generated for your numbers in order to successfully port them away. Our guide on how to obtain your port out PIN can be found here: How to Port Your Talkroute Phone Number to Different Carrier
Talkroute can port most phone numbers in the United States and Canada. If you would like to check and see if your numbers are portable to Talkroute before submitting a port request, please reach out. All of our contact information can be found here: https://talkroute.com/contact/
If a porting agent determines that your number is not portable, this is because our partner carriers do not have coverage in the area where your number is located. Most commonly, this is the case with numbers originating from rural areas. The number's originating location is determined by the area code and prefix of the phone number. Number portability is not typically determined based on the current carrier of the number. If you would like our team to confirm whether your number is portable to Talkroute, please get in touch with us at support@talkroute.com.
We require a copy of your most recent phone bill (within the last 30 days) showing the number you're porting and account name. A full bill or account screenshot is acceptable, as long as it clearly shows this information.
If a rejection notice has been sent, your porting agent will provide more information such as the reject reason and recommendations for next steps. The most common rejection is for mismatching information. The information provided in your LOA might not match what your carrier has on file. If this is the case, we would send a new LOA to get the correct information and resubmit your order. Other times, there may be an issue under the account with your current carrier and your carrier would need to be contacted in order to move forward.
In most cases, the date is determined by your current provider once the port is approved. We may be able to request a specific port date upon submission, but it's not guaranteed. We'll notify you if a date is confirmed.
If your port has not yet been submitted to the carrier, we can delay the request or you can cancel the request by deleting the number from your account.
Once submitted, cancellation or rescheduling depends on your current progress and cannot always be guaranteed. Please reach out as soon as possible if you need changes by contacting your porting agent or sending an email to support@talkroute.com. Please include the numbers you requested to port and the change you would like to make.
Unfortunately, we do not guarantee an exact time for ported number activations. However, most numbers will activate between 10AM - 2PM CT on the date your port is set to complete.
Downtime is uncommon, but there may be a short window (usually a few minutes) during the switch. We recommend keeping your existing service active until the port completes to avoid any interruptions.
You can continue using your number through your existing provider until the port completes. If you want to receive calls through Talkroute while waiting, you can temporarily forward your number to a Talkroute number using call forwarding (*72 or carrier settings if available).
Yes, your current provider must keep the number active in order for the port to be approved. Canceling service before the port completes will cause the number to become inactive and may result in the request being rejected or delayed.
Your ported numbers will activate to Talkroute before the end of business on your approval date. If the number is no longer working with the losing carrier or with Talkroute, please reach out to our support team for further assistance. All of our contact information can be found here: https://talkroute.com/contact/
If some calls are still going to your previous carrier you may have to contact them to remove the ported number from their systems.
Talkroute does not provide direct service to physical phones at this time. This means that if you are porting a phone number to Talkroute that is associated with a physical phone, you would need to get a replacement phone number with your current carrier. The phone would need a 10-digit US/Canada phone number in order to work with Talkroute service.
Example
Let's say you have a cell phone with a business number that you would like to port to Talkroute, but you still wish to use that cell phone to place and receive business calls. Once you port that business number over to Talkroute, the number will no longer be available on your cell phone. Since Talkroute does not provide direct service to physical phones, you would need to get a replacement number from your cell carrier. This replacement number can then be added as a forwarding phone number in Talkroute. When someone calls your Talkroute number, the call can be forwarded to your replacement cell phone number, as well as any other 10-digit US/Canada phone number or Talkroute desktop users. Outgoing calls using your business number can be made from the Talkroute mobile or desktop applications.
Yes! Services like Google Voice, MagicJack, or VoIP-only carriers often require unlocking the number or using an account PIN. Make sure to follow your provider's instructions before submitting a port request.
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