number not able to be ported over from VOnage

Posts: 29

I ran into an issue that I am hoping someone can give me a little insight or ammunition with.

I am currently a Vonage customer my fairytale phone number is 123-456-7890. I've had it for a few years, I have moved but only about 3 blocks away from my orignal address.

Now I am in the process of changing to Uverse. ATT assigned me a new number and after numerous attempts is getting an error trying to port the old number over from Vonage. They asked me to contact the carrier and ask for the number to be released.

On day two of no more information, I called ATT again. This time I am told that the number is not portable and the agent starts to describe something related to a call area (can't remember the exact term) not being the same and that the number will not be able to travel to ATT (either residential land line or Uverse).

Now what I don't understand is, if I am not moving, how can the number not be able to tranfer? I could understand counties, states, cities not being able to move a number, but I am staying still!

If anyone can give me some more insight or explain what is going on I would be very appreciative. Thanks!

-Shane

Posts: 656 · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 2:41 pm Post subject:

It is possible that your number with Vonage comes from a rate center that is not serviced by AT&T. So it's like this. Before Voip, you were issued a phone number by your local telephone company(a Ma Bell type, Bell, Verizon, AT&T) and that number belongs to a specific local switch in a local rate center that covers a few miles of your local area. If you moved outside of this local area that this rate center was not a part of, you could not keep your number.

Voip came along and allowed you to have any number you want since Voip in not tied to a geographical location. So with Vonage you could have a physical address in New York yet have a California phone number.

With your issue, it is very possible that your number with Vonage is not part of a rate center that AT&T covers and therefore cannot port it to their switch. There are some FCC guidelines that have to be followed by any LEC but there are exceptions to what can and cannot be ported.

You should use a lookup like this:

http://www.localcallingguide.com/lca_prefix.php

By putting in your area code and exchange, it can tell you which LECs own numbers in your area. It may also extend out to the block of numbers which is the first digit of the last four numbers in your phone number.

Posts: 29 · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 5:50 pm Post subject:

I think that helped to explain it. I entered the information in as you suggested and the number is assigned to broadwing LLC in the town next to me.

Posts: 656 · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 6:01 pm Post subject:

That would make sense. Broadwing is one of Vonage's providers so that would be who owns your number currently. Vonage does not own any phone numbers. You don't actually port numbers to or from Vonage.

In order to have a physical land line with that number, your local phone company would have to be Broadwing not AT&T.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Nov 24, 2010 Posts: 1

Even though the OCN is listed as Broadwing, by clicking on the "Rate centers in NPA ###" you will see who the ILEC is for the city you want to port your number to. I just tested it. For me the OCN is Broadwing and ILEC is Pacific Bell (which is now AT&T.) I called AT&T and asked them if they could port my NPA-NXX and they confirmed that they could. Here is some word of caution. Some numbers in 123-456 (NPA-NXX) may be portable and some others may not be, depending on the first number of the last 4 digits in your phone number. For, example 123-456-7### may be portable and 123-456-8### may not be portable. If you don't want to loose your number, ask a new service provider to port it BEFORE canceling your service with your current provider. Once you cancel your service with your current provider, you will loose your number. Obviously, you won't be able to port what you don't have.

Posts: 23 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Nov 22, 2007 Posts: 23

sarjent wrote:

I ran into an issue that I am hoping someone can give me a little insight or ammunition with.

I am currently a Vonage customer my fairytale phone number is 123-456-7890. I've had it for a few years, I have moved but only about 3 blocks away from my orignal address.

Now I am in the process of changing to Uverse. ATT assigned me a new number and after numerous attempts is getting an error trying to port the old number over from Vonage. They asked me to contact the carrier and ask for the number to be released.

On day two of no more information, I called ATT again. This time I am told that the number is not portable and the agent starts to describe something related to a call area (can't remember the exact term) not being the same and that the number will not be able to travel to ATT (either residential land line or Uverse).

Now what I don't understand is, if I am not moving, how can the number not be able to tranfer? I could understand counties, states, cities not being able to move a number, but I am staying still!

If anyone can give me some more insight or explain what is going on I would be very appreciative. Thanks!

-Shane

LNP related to the porting of a number that is no longer active out from Vonage won't work...you have to have an active account to move the number out from Vonage same would be true if you were moving from any carrier. but in most cases if the number can't be moved it will be because the number is not on an active account or there is no number s to trade in that area. between the carriers.