Understanding Number Portability
Local Number Portability (LNP) allows subscribers to retain their telephone numbers when switching carriers. For businesses, retaining existing numbers is critical to maintaining customer relationships and avoiding the costs associated with number changes — reprinting materials, updating systems, and managing call redirection.
The porting process involves coordination between three parties: the losing carrier (your current provider), the gaining carrier (Mokrina), and the relevant number portability administration centre (NPAC) or equivalent body in your country. The timeline and process vary significantly by country, number type, and volume.
Pre-Porting Checklist
Porting rejections are almost always avoidable. The majority are caused by mismatched account information. Before submitting a porting request, verify the following:
- Account name: The name on the porting request must exactly match the account name on record with the losing carrier — including punctuation and abbreviations.
- Billing address: Must match the losing carrier's records exactly, including postcode/ZIP format.
- Account number: Obtain your current account number from a recent bill or by calling your current carrier's porting department.
- PIN or passcode: Many carriers require a porting PIN. If you do not know your PIN, contact the losing carrier to have it reset before submitting the port.
- Number status: Confirm that numbers are active and not subject to a contractual minimum term that would prevent porting.
- Number range: For DDI/DID ranges, confirm the exact range format required by your country's NPAC (some require block porting; others support individual number porting).
Porting Timeline by Region
United Kingdom
UK geographic and non-geographic number porting is regulated by Ofcom and processed via the Number Portability Centralised Database (NPCD). Standard porting timelines are:
- Simple ports (single number, consumer): 1 business day
- Complex ports (ranges, business, hosted): 5-10 business days
- Large range ports (100+ numbers): up to 20 business days
United States and Canada
US porting is managed via the NPAC (Number Portability Administration Center), operated by Neustar/TransNexus. Timelines:
- Simple ports: 1 business day after FOC (Firm Order Commitment)
- Complex/business ports: 2-5 business days
- Rate centre changes: May require additional coordination
European Union
EU member states implement the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) mandate for porting completion within 1 business day for consumer and SME ports. Actual timelines vary by country and carrier.
The Porting Process Step by Step
- Step 1 — Submit Letter of Authorisation (LOA): Provide Mokrina with a signed LOA authorising the port, along with verified account information for the losing carrier.
- Step 2 — Porting Order Submission: Mokrina submits the porting order to the losing carrier via the relevant NPAC or bilateral process.
- Step 3 — FOC Received: The losing carrier issues a Firm Order Commitment confirming the scheduled port date and time.
- Step 4 — Pre-port Configuration: Configure your new SIP trunk and routing before the port date. Test with a temporary number if required.
- Step 5 — Port Execution: At the scheduled time, the number transfers to Mokrina's network. The transition window is typically under 30 seconds for geographic numbers.
- Step 6 — Post-port Verification: Test inbound and outbound calls immediately after the port window. Contact Mokrina support immediately if calls do not route correctly.
Handling Porting Rejections
If a porting order is rejected, you will receive a rejection reason code. Common codes and resolutions:
- Account name mismatch: Obtain exact account name from the losing carrier and resubmit.
- Number not found: Verify the number is registered to the account and in the correct format (E.164 vs national).
- Active contract: Request a waiver from the losing carrier or wait for the contract term to expire.
- Number frozen/blocked: The losing carrier may have placed a porting freeze. Contact them directly to request removal before resubmitting.
Minimising Downtime During the Port
- Schedule ports outside business hours where the losing carrier permits it.
- For critical numbers, arrange a brief overlap period with call forwarding from the old carrier to your new SIP trunk.
- Have Mokrina technical support on standby during the port window for immediate diagnosis if issues arise.
- Test your complete call routing configuration — including IVR, ring groups, and voicemail — before the port date, not on the day.