Porting business phone numbers in Canada, step by step

Number portability means a customer can keep a phone number when they change providers. In Canada it is governed by CRTC decisions. The CRTC set a two-business-day interval for simple stand-alone ports in 2003 and applied the same interval to simple wireline-to-wireless and wireless-to-wireline ports in 2005 (see the sources below). Those figures are old, intervals can be different for complex or large ports and for particular carriers, and the rules may have changed. Treat them as a floor for planning and ask your provider what applies today.

Step 1: Make a list of the numbers

List every number to move: main lines, direct lines, fax lines, and any toll-free numbers. For each, record what it does today. Include numbers that nobody mentions, such as an alarm line or a credit-card terminal.

Step 2: Collect what the old provider will check

A port request is matched against the old provider's records. Mismatches are the most common reason for a rejection. Gather:

The account name exactly as the old provider has it (not the trade name).
The account number and any PIN or passcode.
The billing address on the account, spelled as on the bill.
The numbers on that account, and whether any other service (internet, television) is on the same account.
A recent bill.
Written authorisation from someone with the authority to move the number, usually a signed letter of authorisation.

Step 3: Do not cancel the old service

This is the mistake that costs the most. If the client cancels the old line before the port completes, the number can be lost. Leave the old service in place until the numbers are confirmed working on the new platform, then cancel it, mindful of any notice period in the contract.

Step 4: Submit the request

The new provider submits the port request to the old one and gives you a date. For a white-label partner, the platform provider usually does this work; your job is the information in Step 2. Check what you will be asked to supply and who contacts the old provider.

Step 5: Handle rejections

A rejection is normal and fixable. Typical causes are a name or address that does not match, a missing PIN, a number on the wrong account, or a number that is part of a bundle with other services. Fix the detail and resubmit, and tell the client the date may move.

Step 6: Prepare the new system before the date

Build users, menus, ring groups and voicemail on the new platform.
Test with temporary numbers so you know it works before the numbers arrive.
Put a civic address on every number for 911. See 911 for hosted phones in Canada.
Agree a time of day for the move with the client, and who is on hand.

Step 7: The move

On the date the numbers switch to the new provider. Calls to the number start arriving at the new platform. Place test calls from outside the office, including a mobile phone, and ask someone to call from a different carrier. Check incoming and outgoing calls and voicemail. Keep the checklist in moving a client off an on-premise phone system next to you.

Step 8: Afterwards

Cancel the old service when everything works. Check that outgoing calls show the right number to the people receiving them. Update the number in directories, on the website and on printed material if anything changed.

Larger or awkward ports

Numbers from many locations, numbers in a hunt group or a bundle, and ports with a deadline need more planning. We plan the timing with you; see how it works, then phones for installers or phones for MSPs to see where it fits your work.