How number porting works
You start with the new provider, not the old one. You give them the number, the account details exactly as the current provider has them, and usually a letter of authorization. The FCC’s porting guide says the old company cannot refuse to port your number even if you owe a balance, and that simple ports must be processed in one business day.
A port can be rejected when the account name, address, or PIN doesn’t match the current provider’s records. Don’t cancel the old service before the port completes, or the number can be lost. Porting is a provider change; if you only want a different service to answer your calls, call forwarding does that without moving the number.
Example: a dental office changing phone providers
A dental office moves its phones to a cloud provider and ports its main number so patients don’t notice. Separately, it wants an AI receptionist to answer overflow and after-hours calls. That doesn’t require another port: the new phone system forwards unanswered calls to the assistant, and the number stays with the office’s phone provider. This scenario is illustrative.
Why InsertChat uses forwarding instead
InsertChat does not offer number porting. In the US and Canada you keep your number with your current provider and forward calls to InsertChat, which you can turn off at any time. Elsewhere, InsertChat provides a local or toll-free number where one is available.
Forwarding keeps your phone service, texting, and directory listings where they are while the AI receptionist answers the calls you send it. Health practices handling patient information need Enterprise and a signed BAA. See the dental setup.
