Switched to Full Fibre but unable to port landline number?

[#1]

Dear All,

I switched my plusnet landline + fibre internet to plusnet full fibre. The engineer came and installed the full fibre on 27/06/2023.

A few days earlier I had booked with AA (aa.net.uk) to port my landline number to their VOIP Service. 

I had read on the forums that the landline number would be available for porting for 30 days after the cease date.

I received a message back from AA saying that:

"The port request gas been rejected as the number is not an active number.
Unfortunately we are unable to port in inactive numbers."

Going back to Plusnet and they are saying :

"The number is no longer with Plusnet as we are not a range holder, the
number in question reverts back to the originator which is British
Telecom.
The number is available for import for 30 days after the cease date,
which was 27/06/2023,
Your new phone provider needs to request an import from BT"

AA are still saying they are unable to port in an inactive number.

I have gone back and forward a few times, but the replies are the same.

What can I do? Have I lost my landline number forever? surely the above situation can't be right given that there is to be mass move to full fibre?

[#2]

This is not a general problem, and is caused by Plusnet not supporting VoIP. It is quite straightforward to move to a provider that supplies both FTTP and VoIP - the problem comes when moving to Plusnet FTTP which ceases your land-line.

One work-around is to install FTTP as an additional service, and once that is working to port your land-line to a VoIP provider, which will cease your ADSL/FTTC.

In your situation I would expect that if anyone can recover your phone number it will be A&A.  

[#3]

AA are still saying they are unable to port in an inactive number

Complete rubbish! They've already done it at least twice according to other posts on the forum.

[#4]

@moh3  I think you need to ask A&A how several other Plusnet customers have successfully ported their number to an A&A Voip service after upgrading to Full Fibre.

The number should be available for 30 days as you say, the fact that is not an active number should not matter. So the statement "Unfortunately we are unable to port in inactive numbers" is not correct. This seems strange as they have definitely ported in inactive numbers as seen in various forum posts.

For example this thread ... https://community.plus.net/t5/Full-Fibre/Moving-from-FTTC-to-FTTP-with-fixed-IP-and-porting-out-old/... 

This also a relevant one  look at meesage #4 ... https://community.plus.net/t5/Business/Number-port/m-p/1927611 

[#5]

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Full Fibre to My Account / Billing

[#6]

@moh3 

Just throwing this in as a thought.

Could it be you started your number port before the FTTP install took place? General advice is to wait until the install has happened before porting. Apart from anything else this covers off the install not happening on the expected date.

Brian

[#7]

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@dvorak wrote:

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Full Fibre to My Account / Billing

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Hmm, just out of interest, why "My Account / Billing"?  The thread is to do with FTTP & phone number rather than Account or Billing, so if"Full Fibre" isn't considered appropriate I'd have expected "Home Phone" maybe is?

[#8]

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I have gone back to plusnet and have pointed them to the above successful port posts, however they have come back with the following:

"We have lots of numbers from plusnet that we have been able to successfully port, however on this occasion the port has been rejected as the Range Holder which is BT have the number now listed as inactive.

The examples shown, the numbers were in fact still listed as active.

We can try another port request, however there would be a £15 charge to retry.

Please let me know if you wish for me to try again"

Now I am not sure who is at fault here (Plusnet or AA), any suggestions on what else I can try ?

[#9]

Im going to try escalating this to see if one of the Help team can look into whats happening here.

[#10]

Hi @moh3 

Speaking with Openreach, the number's in a particular status known as 'spare', which means for some reason it can't currently be ported off the BT network. However, as the porting process is gaining provider-led, I'd suggest asking A&A to contact Openreach's number porting team, if they're unable to place or progress the order.

[#11]

Hi @Gandalf 

Thank you for your for your reply, I have gone back to A&A and informed them but they have come back with:

"I am really sorry but we do not have a service to obtain ceased or free numbers from BT. We can only port in active numbers or allocate a number from our number range."

It appears that I am out of luck with A&A given the current set of circumstances.

Would there be a way for Plusnet to reactive the number? Surely ofcom's 30 days right to port should be applicable here and not just mean landlines will be immediately ceased. Any other suggestions that I could try?

[#12]

@moh3 Im not sure I understand exactly whose fault i.e BT/Plusnet or A & A it is in this situation but one of them is not compliant with OFCOM's General conditions (GC) for number portability. This is defined in Section C7.6 of https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/232064/annex-3-revised-general-conditions-unoff...

C7.6 All Regulated Providers shall ensure that:
(a) they provide Number Portability on reasonable terms and conditions to any Switching
Customer who so requests;
(b) they provide Number Portability for a minimum of one month after the date of
termination by the Switching Customer of the contract for the provision of the Relevant
Communications Service(s), unless the Switching Customer expressly agrees otherwise
at the point when they terminate the contract; and
(c) no direct charges are applied to the Switching Customer for the provision of Number
Portability.

On the face of it , A & A's statement 'I am really sorry but we do not have a service to obtain ceased or free numbers from BT. We can only port in active numbers' would seem to be in direct contravention of the GC, since by implication a number cant be active after a contract is terminated.

I think you have to complain, but to whom ? Really it should be down to OFCOM to sort out this mess but they are hopeless.

I'd suggest perhaps complaining to everyone , PN for not enabling the port of the number after contract termination, A & A for not being able to port an inactive number and OFCOM just to make sure they are aware of the situation.

In reality, Im afraid non of that is likely to help you get the number back BUT it may help others in future...

[#13]

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@moh3 wrote:

Would there be a way for Plusnet to reactive the number?

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I don't think we can, as that would mean re-providing the phone line which we don't provide for full fibre.

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@moh3 wrote:

30 days right to port should be applicable here and not just mean landlines will be immediately ceased. Any other suggestions that I could try?

---

Right to port means that a ceased number can be ported within 31 days. I've reached out to suppliers again to confirm and for advice; they've explained that the new provider needs to attempt to place the order and if they're having any issues, then they can contact the number porting team helpdesk to assist with completing the port.

[#14]

@moh3  @Gandalf  @MisterW  This thread tends to confirm my suspicions that the OFCOM Right to Port isn't working as it should.

Could it be that all the customers who have successfully ported their landline numbers have been fortunate in that the number has still shown as active when the gaining provider requests the port?

There is something badly wrong if an inactive or ceased number cannot be ported, surely that is the whole point of the process.🤔

[#15]

Could it be that all the customers who have successfully ported their landline numbers have been fortunate in that the number has still shown as active when the gaining provider requests the port?

@RealAleMadrid I wondered that, and from @moh3 s comments earlier from A & A that would seem a possibility

However there was a post a little while ago ( cant find the thread at the mo ) where a port was requested using Sipgate, who claimed it had been rejected by PN due to 'not active'. It seemed to be the case that Sipgate had checked the number status and not even attempted the port. When A & A were asked to port the number it was successfull !! So they CAN port inactive numbers.

There is something badly wrong if an inactive or ceased number cannot be ported, surely that is the whole point of the process.

Absolutely agree. Ideally OFCOM should be doing something here, but as we know, that's not going to happen...