Because of the convenience of being able to switch to a cheaper form of calling communication technology, many are making the switch over to VoIP technology. However, often times the downside of making that switch is losing that same phone number you have always had. For businesses making the switch, this can be negative for the business to lose it’s number especially when it comes to having to change that phone number on all marketing and advertising products and campaigns. Instead of having to go through that expensive change of switching phone numbers, porting VoIP numbers is a viable solution. However, there are a few things to consider before making the VoIP switch and choosing the porting numbers option.
According to the regulations put forth by the FCC, there are certain rules that both the companies that own your phone numbers as well as the VoIP provider must follow when a customer wants to make the switch from traditional phone service to VoIP. Keep in mind that most simple transfers for phone numbers over to VoIP normally take a short period of time. However, for more complicated transfers, the time might take a little bit longer. That is why before the service has officially been transferred and your number has been ported, do not cancel your phone service quite yet or you will be without the use of that phone number until the VoIP service can officially take over. It is also important to keep in mind that porting VoIP numbers might also cost the customer a little bit more in terms of fees to transfer because it actually costs the company more to recover the costs that incur when trying to provide that number portability. However, some companies do not charge any fees at all while some fee structures at other companies might vary. This is a matter to consult when you are considering your new VoIP service.
Based on the regulations from the FCC regarding porting VoIP numbers, the companies are not allowed to refuse to port a number because a customer has not paid for porting. Usually the entire process of porting takes about one to four business days. However, some intermodal ports like wireline to wireless or to VoIP might take a little extra time simply because of the more complex adjustments that must also be made when switching to VoIP phone systems.
When you first consult a company to make a simple porting VoIP number request, there is certain information you are going to have to provide including the 10-digit phone number, the customer’s account number, the customer’s 5-digit zip code, the customer’s pass-code, if one exists on the account. This is usually the case with most Interconnected VoIP services. The interconnected VoIP service allows users to make and receive calls to and from a traditional phone number using the Internet connection, made over Internet Protocol. The Internet Protocol is the method over which voice transmissions are made to make a successful phone call using VoIP technology. Most VoIP services providers are considered to be interconnected, but it is a good idea to make sure before you sign up for the service. The benefit of choosing an interconnected VoIP provider is that it is required to adhere to the federal guidelines, which make the switch over to VoIP much easier in terms of porting VoIP numbers. It is also important to have an interconnected VoIP service because it makes it so you can make phone calls to other traditional phone numbers, which is still essential to be able to communicate with the majority of other individuals and businesses.