Objective


The objective of his guide is to provide you with as much information as possible to have success with Local Number Portability (LNP) and avoiding the delays and costs associated with rejected LNP Requests.


Abbreviations


LNP: Local Number Portability

TN: Telephone Number

ONSP: Old Network Service Provider/Losting Service Provider

NNSP: New Network Service Provider/Gaining Service Provider

SANO:  Street Address Number

SASN:  Street Name

LOA: Letter of Authorization

CFWD: Call Forward


Most Common Rejections


Most LNP requests are rejected for simple reasons and can be easily avoided.


1. Incorrect Name


The name of the current owner of the Telephone Number (TN) must match what is on file with the current provider (ONSP). 


Ways to avoid this type of rejection

  • Inspect the most recent Telephone Bill to make sure the name you submit matches what is on the Bill
  • Make sure the name has not been recently changed while the bill may not reflect the new name
  • If ever unsure, contact the current provider to make sure what name they have on file

2. Incorrect Address


The address provided for your LNP request must match the current service address which is the location where the TN is currently installed. The bill from the provider may reflect a billing address rather than the service address.


Ways to avoid this type of rejection

  • Make sure the TN you are porting belongs to the City in the address. i.e. If you are porting a Montreal number, the address cannot be in Toronto. There may be exceptions to this requirement when porting from another VoIP provider, Single Number Reach service or Mobile numbers
  • In some cases the SANO might reflect an attached building. i.e. street number may be 42 for the service address while the customer may be in street number 44
  • If you are a reseller, contact the customer to ask for the exact location the service is installed at.
  • The best way to make sure of this is to contact the ONSP for clarification


3. Stranded Services/Pilot of Overline leaving Stranded Services


This type of rejection can happen when porting the main number of PRI circuits or Multi-line hunt groups and can happen when a action is not provided for every number that is attached to the main number. i.e. when porting a PRI with 24 numbers including the main number, but not providing a PORT, DISCONNECT or LEAVE WITH CARRIER instruction for every number.


Ways to avoid this type of rejection

  • Obtain a Customer Service Record or Equipment record from the ONSP. This document should list every number related to the main number and can be used to dispute a rejection
  • Request IXICA for an RFI. While this can prove helpful, in most instances this is a chargeable service provided by the losing service provider
  • Relying on a Bill from the service provider does not always lead to success since some service providers may not list every TN on the bill


4. TN Not in Database/TN Not Active


A rejection for TN Not in Database or TN Not Active can occur when attempting to port a TN that has already been disconnected or cancelled. TNs can only be ported while they are active with the current provider.


Ways to avoid this type of rejection

  • Make sure you are able to call the numbers being ported and that there is no intecept announcing that the number is not in service
  • Make sure you have a bill less than 30 days old for the TN being ported
  • Make sure there are no outstanding balances with the current provider or pending disconnection for non-payment


5. More Recent Authorization


This type of rejection occurs when the owner of the TN has changed their mind and requested the ONSP to cancel the LNP, requested to make changes to the account while the LNP was being processed, or the ONSP has cancelled the port due to outstanding payments on the account


Ways to avoid this type of rejection


  • Ensure you have obtained authorization to port the number via a LOA and that the customer is aware that they are changing service providers
  • If you are a reseller, ask your customer to not sign up for a new contract if reached out to by the Customer Retention Department of the ONSP
  • Do not contact the ONSP to make changes while the LNP is in progress i.e. submitting the LNP and then contacting the ONSP to enable the CFWD feature to make the service provider change smoother


6. Port Out Authorization Not Received


Due to recent Fraud with hijacking of SIMs and Mobile TNs, all Mobile service providers have enabled a validation process via SMS/Text Message.


Ways to avoid this type of rejection


  • Make sure you are available to accept the SMS verification within 90 minutes. When IXICA notifies you that the request has been submitted, the SMS should arrive shortly after that
  • You may opt to pre authorize the port via your mobile provider for up to 72 hours. IXICA must be notified of this so that we can process the request in that time frame. Keep note of weekends and holidays where LNP requests may not be processed
  • Make sure you do not have any port out locks in place, some mobile providers allow you to lock your number from being ported out. In this case make sure they have released the lock which can take up to 72 hours


7. Invalid or Incorrect Reseller


When porting numbers from a Reseller such as yourself if you are a reseller of IXICA, we are required to submit the name of the Reseller as it appears with the ONSP.


  • Submit the porting request with the name of the provider from whom you receive invoices. If the underlying carrier does not match the reseller, we know it is a resale and submit the information accordingly
  • If there may be multiple resellers involved, check with the final reseller in the chain, who the next level up reseller is


If ever in doubt about an LNP request feel free to reach out to lnp@ixica.com, we will be more than happy to assist you.


Additional information can be found in the attached guide.