A business phone number is a fundamental part of your brand identity. It’s the number – or group of numbers – that has been splashed across your web pages, social media, and promotional materials…not to mention picked up several international search engines.Your business number is everywhere.It’s a number you’d probably prefer to keep. After all, your customers have grown familiar with it because they’ve been in contact with you for years. However, the clunky landline or subpar provider has run its course and you’ve been considering switching to VoIP because of your market expansion goals.Businesses can easily transfer their legacy phone number over to a new carrier with a process called porting. Porting a business number is pretty easy with the right provider – even if you’re going international. In this article, we’ll take a look at some common questions around international porting, supported number types, and process tips to efficiently port over.

How Number Porting Works

Porting is the process of transferring a legacy phone number over to a new carrier. Companies will port their numbers elsewhere for a variety of reasons: long-distance call charges on landlines, inability to forward calls, inferior call quality and support tools, etc.Customers new to AVOXI have shared their input behind their decisions to port over to us. Our consistent uptime and excellent call quality, global voice reach in 170+ countries, and exceptional free phone features to optimize processes and improve the customer experience were among the most mentioned.AVOXI’s VoIP porting service is quick, easy, and available for several number types in over 100 countries – at no cost! For a limited time, customers can get a full month of free calling with every business number ported to our network! Check that your number transfers efficiently with AVOXI’s VoIP phone number portability chart.

What documents do I need to port my number?

While the required documentation may vary by country and provider, in most cases, a business will need to provide the following information:

• Letter of Authorization. A completed letter of authorization (LOA) gives permission to the new carrier to contact your current carrier and begin the porting process. AVOXI provides an LOA template for anyone interested in transferring their business number to our network.
• Proof of Ownership. Proof of ownership is necessary for a new carrier to transfer the number. This document can be something as simple as a bill or invoice that references your name, number, and billing address.
• Number Porting Form. Porting international numbers may require an additional form. Talk with your new provider about how to obtain one. Porting US and Canadian numbers are excluded from this form requirement.

How long does porting a number take?

The time it takes to port will largely depend on your provider’s process, your old provider’s responsiveness, and how quickly you can send off the requisite information. Most of AVOXI’s international number transfers take 3-7 days to complete, but we advise giving yourself a 30-day window for those rare cases that need more processing and provisioning time.From the time of request, porting local or toll free numbers in the US or Canada generally takes 2-3 weeks to complete. Customers are not expected to face any down time during the porting process.

Can I transfer a landline number to a VoIP service?

Yes! Porting numbers to VoIP, even traditional landline services, is quick and easy with most VoIP porting services.

Information Needed to Transfer Your Business Numbers

Letter of Authorization (LoA)

A completed letter of authorization (LOA) gives permission to the new carrier to contact your current carrier and begin the porting process. AVOXI provides an LOA template for anyone interested in transferring their business number to our network.

Proof of Ownership

Proof of ownership is necessary for a new carrier to transfer the number. This is usually as simple as a bill or invoice from your current carrier that references your name, number, and billing address.

International Porting Form

In some countries, porting international numbers may require an additional form. If this is the case, your new provider should be able to give more detail and provide whatever you need. The Number Porting Process