Objective
Understanding how the number porting process flows when working with one of our expert Porting Project Coordinators as part of an 8×8 Professional Services deployment. For definitions of any number porting acronyms and phrases please click here to see our glossary.
Applies To
Number Porting
Professional Services
Related Questions
Prerequisites
Licenses
Temporary Numbers
Americas (AMER) - Porting Projects
Once your project has been determined to need Americas porting as part of the services, a Porting Project Coordinator is assigned to your project. This person will be responsible for verifying all documentation you provide, manually submitting the porting requests on your behalf, and completing the port on the requested port date.
Paperwork Required
Refer to this article for more details on number porting paperwork.
To begin the porting process you must provide the following documentation:
A Letter of Authorization - for each service address and carrier.
A completed mapping document.
A Customer Service Record (CSR) from the current provider. (This should include all the porting data needed for your phone numbers)
A copy of your most recent bill from each carrier is only required for Toll free and international (must be within 30 days of request submission).
If any of the information submitted does not match what your current provider has on file, the request will need to be resubmitted with full lead time. It is vital that you collect accurate information to the best of your ability.
Letter Of Authorization (LOA)
An LOA is required for all port requests and must be provided to 8×8 before we can begin the porting process. A separate LOA should be provided for each distinct:
Account (some providers may hold numbers on multiple accounts)
Carrier
Business Name
Service/billing address
Local DIDs - The address on the LOA is based on the service location.
Toll-Free Numbers - The address and information to complete is based on the billing address and name.
Copies of Bill
The current (dated within 30 days) copy of the bill should be provided whenever possible and can help prevent or resolve rejections, but it is only required for toll-free numbers. It can assist in rejection resolution when it is current and shows the numbers porting.
Customer Service Record (CSR)
In the US this is a document that the losing carrier provides that will contain all the correct information needed to complete the LOA. This will decrease the likelihood of port order rejections. In other countries, you can request an inventory that will provide all the numbers on an account. This is paramount for the success of porting as it can stop 8x8 from getting any rejections entirely and is highly recommended however some carriers do not offer CSRs.
Mapping Document
The mapping document is important as it tells us where your numbers need to end up. Follow the guidelines on how to fill it. Please note that the document must be fully and accurately completed before we can process your request. If you'd like to watch a recording on how to complete the mapping document, 
click here.
Download the form and fill out the following columns in Excel:
Number to Port - The number that you are planning to port to 8x8, 1 number per line make sure to include the country code and area code. EX 14086445454.
Temporary Number - The number on your 8x8 system that we are replacing with the porting number.
Product - The product you are transferring the number to. This is most commonly 8x8 Work or 8x8 Contact Center.
Carrier - The name of your current provider.
Billing Telephone # - The billing telephone number for your former provider. This is typically the main number on your account, but please verify with your provider to ensure the correct information.
Business Name - The name of your business according to your former provider.
Address (If there's multiple) - This is the service address for that phone number, if all the numbers have the same service address this only needs to be listed once.
Authorized name - The name of the authorized contact for the former provider.
Account Number (Optional) - If available, the account number with your current provider.
Notes (Optional) - Any notes regarding the specific number if needed to be mentioned.
Submitting Your Request
Once the required documentation has been collected, and you know your preferred porting date, it is time to start the process.
Send the required porting paperwork to your point of contact in the 8×8 Professional Services team, who will pass it to our Number Porting team.
Rejections
Ensure that the information you submit with the 8x8 porting team matches your current telephony provider's records.
Any rejection due to data mismatch will result in restarting the porting process and will affect the lead time - this could significantly impact the possibility of meeting your preferred port date.
If your port request is rejected, you will receive a notification from your 8x8 Porting Project Coordinator. We’ll provide instructions on how best to immediately resolve the rejection. If the Customer Service Record (CSR) is received prior to porting, it will lessen the possibility of rejection by your current provider.
Your Porting Project Coordinator will do everything possible to resolve rejections and discrepancies with your current provider, but occasionally the only way to resolve a rejection is for you to contact the current provider.
We will endeavour to meet your requested port date.
Other Considerations
Your Porting Project Coordinator will work with you every step of the way to ensure a seamless porting experience. We do understand, however, that our customers may sometimes choose to move a port date after receiving a confirmation date (FOC), or ask to expedite their porting process.
We will work with you, but charges may apply for cancellations, expedited service, and last-minute changes to your porting date. Consult your Porting Project Coordinator or Project Manager should you have questions.
Day of port
For details on what time ports are typically completed please click here.
If you would prefer non-standard port time, please let your Porting Project Coordinator know.
We will endeavour to accommodate your requested time if possible.
Charges may apply when a port is processed at a non-standard time.
8x8 Work
When your numbers are released to 8x8, your Porting Project Coordinator will start to activate the numbers.
Once activated, all 8x8 temporary numbers will be replaced by your ported numbers, based on the information provided in the User Mapping document.
If numbers aren't assigned to any user or service, you will hear a busy tone (depending on the call). Please make sure your numbers are configured and assigned to the correct destination (User, Auto Attendant, or Ring Group).
8x8 Contact Center
When the port request is submitted, your numbers are provisioned on your Virtual Contact Center account (tenant) as a new channel.
Each channel must have a script associated with it, and must be ‘enabled’ before calls can connect.
If channels associated with your numbers are not enabled, your customer will hear the following: “The number you have dialed is not activated.”
If the channels are enabled, but no script is attached, the call will have no message and the call will disconnect.
Once the port completes, your Porting Project Coordinator will perform testing to confirm calls are routing to the 8x8 platform.
When our testing indicates the numbers are routing to 8×8 we will notify you that the process is complete.
After the port
In most cases, your provider automatically disconnects your account when the number transfers. However, we encourage you to contact your provider to ensure they have disconnected the service and stopped the billing to your account.
Europe (EMEA) - Porting Projects
Once your project is determined to require EMEA porting as part of the services, a Porting Project Coordinator is assigned to your project. This person will be responsible for verifying all documentation you provide, manually submitting the porting requests on your behalf, and completing the port on the requested port date.
Documentation Needed
Refer to this article for more details on number porting paperwork.
Letter Of Authority (LOA)
Porting documentation is required for all port requests and should be completed and must be sent to 8x8 before a port request can be submitted to the current provider.
If the numbers to be ported differ in any of the following details, then a separate LOA would be required:
Account (Some providers may hold the numbers on separate accounts)
Carrier
Business Name
Site address (On the existing carrier's records)
Number Type (i.e. if porting both geographic & non-geographic)
Rejections
Ensure that the information you submit with the 8x8 porting team matches your current telephony provider's records.
Any rejection due to data mismatch will result in restarting the porting process and will affect the lead time - this could significantly impact the possibility of meeting your preferred porting date.
If your port request is rejected, you will receive a notification from your Porting Project Coordinator. We’ll provide instructions on how best to immediately resolve the rejection.
Other Considerations
Your Porting Project Coordinator will work with you every step of the way to ensure a seamless porting experience. We do understand, however, that our customers may sometimes choose to move a port date after receiving a confirmation date (FOC), or ask to expedite their porting process.
We will work with you, but charges may apply for cancellations, expedited service, and last-minute changes to your porting date. Consult your Porting Project Coordinator or Project Manager should you have questions.
After the port
In most cases, your provider automatically disconnects your account when the number transfers. However, we encourage you to contact your provider to ensure they have disconnected the service and stopped the billing to your account.
Asia-Pacific (APAC) - Porting Projects
Documentation Needed
Letter Of Authority (LOA)
Letter of Authorization (LOA) signed by the authorized user and/or owner of the number(s).
A separate LOA is required according to site, account number and carrier.
The full list of numbers that you wish to port. If number(s) to be ported are part of a number range, the entire number range must be ported, and ALL associated services to the account need to be included.
Copy of Bill
Copy of the most recent phone bill (within the last 30 days) from the existing service provider, that includes the account number and authorized user’s name for all the numbers you would like to port.
If a bill cannot be presented, an Authority Letter from the current provider/carrier is also acceptable provided it includes all relevant details. i.e., customer name, address, account number and all services to be included in the port request.
Country Specific Information
Australia
Simple Service (Cat A) - applicable only to single standalone numbers with no enhancements.
Complex Service (Cat C) - applicable to numbers that include a number range, and enhancements with associated products on the services.
Special Port (Toll Free) - applicable to 1300 or 1800 numbers.
New Zealand
Geographic Local Number - applicable to single standalone numbers and complex service numbers including number ranges.
Toll Free Number - applicable to 800 numbers.
Singapore
Carriers require full number range to be ported, if part of a number range the existing carrier will require to port the entire number range, as single numbers are often rejected for additional numbers.
All level 6 numbers 6XXX XXXX - are portable.
All level 3 numbers 3XXX XXXX - are NOT portable.
Toll Free Singapore Numbers - are NOT portable.
Hong Kong
Carriers require full number range to be ported, if part of a number range the existing carrier will require to port the entire number range, as single numbers are often rejected for additional numbers.
Geographic Local Number - are portable, however, portability check needs to be requested.
International Toll-Free Number (ITFN) - are portable, however portability check needs to be requested.
Domestic Toll-Free Number (DTFN) - are NOT portable.
Rejections
If your port request is rejected, you will receive notification from your Porting Project Coordinator. We will provide instructions on next steps for you to resolve the rejection with your current provider.
We will do our best to meet your requested port date. However, any rejection will reset the lead time which could significantly impact the possibility of meeting your preferred port date.
After the port
In most cases, your provider automatically disconnects your account when numbers are transferred away. However, we encourage you to contact your provider to ensure they have disconnected the service and stopped the billing to your account.