Porting is the process of moving telephone numbers from one carrier to another, and for reliable incoming fax transmissions it’s essential you do port any fax numbers you may already have to us. You may be able to forward incoming calls to a native T38Fax fax number instead of porting, but this is rarely the correct long-term plan as this can often cause severe fax quality and reliability issues.

About Porting

Process Outline

Porting allows you to move your fax numbers to T38Fax from another carrier. To initiate a port you must submit the porting documents to the gaining carrier, T38Fax. If the port is approved, we will advise you of the Firm Order Commitment (FOC) date(s) for your port order. Each number will port to T38Fax on its FOC date, usually between 11AM and 12PM Eastern Time. We only execute ports inside of normal business hours (8AM-5PM Eastern).

Cost to Port

We do not charge customers to port numbers to T38Fax. It’s always free. Really. 

There is a monthly recurring fee for each number that has been ported to us, of course. Number pricing is detailed in the FAX NUMBERS section of the T38Fax Pricing Page.

Time to Port

The time required to complete a number port will vary and depends on the quantity of numbers porting, accuracy and completeness of submitted paperwork and all communication between us, other carriers, and regulatory bodies. Firm Order Commitment (FOC) dates for standard ports are usually scheduled to execute within 7 to 10 business days from port approval. Ports involving 100 or more numbers are considered Project Ports and their FOC dates may be scheduled to execute up to 20 business days from port approval. 

T38Fax processes number ports in the order they were received. Please note it may take up to 3 business days for an initial response on a new port request. Our porting team will send regular status updates as your order is being processed.

You may request a specific FOC date when submitting a port order, but that date must be 10 or more business days in the future. If no date is requested, all ports will be scheduled for the earliest date available. Once assigned, FOC dates may be rescheduled to any later date, subject to approval.

Any changes to a port order should be communicated as soon as possible to ensure ample time to communicate the change between all parties involved. We are unable to guarantee the results of change requests submitted less than 2 business days before the scheduled FOC date.

Your Role with Other Parties

You are not required to contact the losing carrier to authorize the port-out. As the gaining carrier, T38Fax works with the losing carrier and the necessary regulatory bodies on your behalf. If the losing carrier needs additional information from you to confirm the port, we will relay this message to you.

It can, however, be beneficial to work directly with your losing carrier at the following stages in the porting process:

• Prior to submitting your port order, to acquire a Customer Service Record (CSR) for submission along with the rest of your porting documents. 
• On the FOC date, after the number has ported out, to remind them to clear any stale routes to these numbers out of their translations tables. For more information on what this means and why this is helpful in some cases, see our article Some Inbound Calls Not Ringing Through After Port-In.

Submitting Port Orders

Please send completed LOA forms to the email address listed inside of the LOA document itself. Alternatively, you may fax your documents to (215) 461-4090.

Porting Documents

Required: Letter of Agency (LOA)

The Letter of Agency (LOA) provides proof of your intent to port the numbers. A fully completed LOA form is required to submit a port order. Please choose one of the options below for your port. If you want to port a combination of local and toll-free numbers, you will have to submit at least two ports: one for the local numbers and one for the toll-free numbers.

LOA for Local Numbers (DIDs) 

Fill out T38Fax’s Toll Number LOA Form (PDF) in its entirety. Please make sure the form is signed and dated within the last 30 days by the Authorized User.

LOA for Toll-Free Numbers (TFNs)

Toll-Free Numbers (TFNs), sometimes called 800 numbers, are easily recognizable by using the 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 or 888 area codes. Note that some numbers within the 8xx area code range aren't actually "800 numbers." For example, the 804 area code belongs to Richmond, VA: therefore this area code is considered local, not toll-free.

For Toll Free numbers, complete our Toll-Free LOA Form (PDF) in its entirety and include proof of ownership of the number(s). Please make sure the form is signed and dated by the Authorized User. Also, please note the LOA must list our Resporg ID (AUD01). (It is listed in the Toll-Free LOA above).

Required: Proof of Ownership

In addition to the signed Letter of Agency (LOA), proof of ownership is required to submit a port order. To establish valid Proof of Ownership of the numbers you intend to port ("porting numbers"), please provide:

A Copy of Bill (CoB) from your current provider showing:

1. A statement date within the past 30 days,
2. Service address of the porting numbers,
3. Your business name, or alternatively the name of your authorized account administrator,
4. The porting numbers. (cont'd. below)

If the CoB does not list the porting numbers, please provide additional documentation to establish Proof of Ownership. Examples of supplemental Proof of Ownership documentation are listed below:

1. A screenshot of the current provider's account portal showing:
   1. the porting numbers
   2. account number
   3. additional information to link numbers to the CoB
2. A letter or email from your current service provider dated within the past 30 days listing the porting numbers and verifying ownership
3. A CSR from the current service provider

Recommended: Customer Service Record (CSR)

We recommend, on all ports, including the customer service record (CSR) for your account with your initial port submission. A CSR includes the following information:

1. The account number on which the porting numbers reside,
2. Billing Telephone Number (BTN) for this account
3. A Number Transfer PIN (if applicable).

You can either request a CSR from the losing carrier or possibly find this information through the losing carrier's web portal.

Though not strictly required, providing a valid CSR may expedite the porting process and reduce the chance of port rejections. For example, some carriers require a PIN to port numbers out of their service. If the losing carrier requires that we provide a PIN to port out your numbers, they will reject our attempt to port your number to T38Fax. This will require additional steps to resolve.