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Port Orders

Number porting lets you transfer existing phone numbers from your current carrier to DialStack. The process involves creating a port order, providing subscriber details, and scheduling the transfer.

Port Order Workflow​

A port order moves through these stages:

  1. Draft — Enter phone numbers, subscriber info, service address, and schedule.
  2. Approved — Review and electronically sign the authorization.
  3. Submitted — The order is sent to the carrier for processing.
  4. Scheduled — The carrier confirms a scheduled transfer date.
  5. Complete — Numbers are successfully transferred.

If the carrier rejects the order, it is marked Rejected, and you can edit and resubmit it.

Creating a Port Order​

  1. Navigate to Phone Numbers → Add Numbers → Port Existing Numbers.
  2. Enter the numbers you want to port, one per row. Press Enter to add another row, or paste a whole list into any row — one number per line, or separated by commas, semicolons or tabs, so a column copied straight out of a spreadsheet works as-is. Each number in the paste gets its own row.
  3. Formatting doesn't matter: (770) 212-6011, 770-212-6011, +1 770 212 6011 and 7702126011 are all accepted, and numbers are tidied into a consistent format as you type.
  4. Check each row. Anything that can't be used is flagged where it sits, with the reason — a number that isn't valid, a toll-free or non-US number, an extension that needs removing, or a heading that came along with the paste. A repeat of a row above is flagged as a duplicate: the number is only ever ordered once, so leaving the extra row would mean the list you see is longer than the order you get. Delete it.
  5. Fix or delete every flagged row before continuing. The order can't move on while one is outstanding — that's deliberate, so a number you meant to transfer can't be quietly left behind. A count of how many rows still need attention sits above the buttons, so a long list can't hide one further down.
  6. The system then checks each number's eligibility and identifies the current carrier. If numbers belong to different carriers, they're automatically split into separate port orders.
  7. Click Create Port Order to save a draft.

:::note Numbers already in service A number that is already live can't be ported, and the order will name it rather than just refusing. If it's already on your own account, it doesn't need porting — take it off the order. If it's in service on another account, it's with the same carrier already, so there's no port to run: moving it is an intra-carrier transfer, which support arranges for you. :::

:::note Number limits Each order holds up to 100 numbers. Separately, every account has a limit on how many phone numbers it can hold in total, and a port order counts against it as soon as the draft is created. If an order would take you past that limit, you'll be told — and the answer is to raise the account's limit rather than to shorten the order. Contact support to have it raised. :::

Completing the Draft​

The port order form has five sections:

Numbers​

The phone numbers to transfer, in the same row list used when starting the order. You can add or remove numbers while the order is in draft; as before, every row has to be usable before you can move on.

Call Routing​

Choose where the numbers should send incoming calls — a user, dial plan, voice app, queue, ring group, or shared voicemail. The routing you pick here is applied to the numbers ahead of time, so calls are already going to the right place the moment the transfer completes — there's no gap where a newly transferred number rings nowhere.

This step is optional. If you'd rather set routing up later, choose Set up routing later and configure each number from its detail page after the port completes. If you pick a destination now and later delete it before the transfer completes, the number simply reverts to needing routing — nothing is guessed on your behalf.

Port Details​

  • Billing Telephone Number (BTN) — The main number on your current carrier account. It must be with the same carrier as the numbers you're porting. If you're porting a single number, that number is usually the billing phone number.
  • Business Name — Must match your current carrier's records exactly.
  • Authorized Contact — The person authorized to request the transfer.
  • Account Number and PIN / Passcode — Your current carrier account credentials. Fill them in when the current carrier requires them, as mobile carriers usually do (the account number plus the account's port-out PIN); otherwise leave them blank.

Service Address​

Enter the service address exactly as it appears on your current carrier's records. Address mismatches are the most common reason for port rejections.

Timing & Documents​

  • Port Date — The earliest date you can request is 5 business days out, and the latest is 30 calendar days out. In practice, the carrier typically confirms a date further out than the earliest allowed (see Timeline below).
  • Port Time — In the account's timezone, set on the account's settings. The carrier only accepts times between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM Eastern, so the list offers only the times that fall in that window, for example 5:00 AM to 5:00 PM for an account on Pacific time.
  • CSR Upload (recommended) — Upload a Customer Service Record from your current carrier. The CSR lists the account's authoritative subscriber details and dramatically reduces the risk of rejection.
  • Bill Copy Upload (recommended) — Upload a recent bill from your current carrier. A bill is a useful fallback when a CSR isn't available and can help resolve carrier disputes about account details.

The CSR and bill copy are sent to the carrier when the order is submitted, and again whenever it is resubmitted, so a replacement uploaded while the order is Rejected reaches the carrier on the next resubmit.

Approving a Port Order​

After completing all sections:

  1. Review the summary on the Review page.
  2. Type your full name as an electronic signature.
  3. Check the authorization box.
  4. Click Approve & Sign.

The Review page also states what these numbers will add to the account's bill: the monthly total, and the per-number rate agreed for this account. Taxes and fees are additional. A ported number is charged from the day it activates on the new carrier, not from the day the order is created, so the first month is normally less than the monthly figure.

Timeline​

Number porting is a carrier-to-carrier process, and the overall timeline is set by the industry — not by DialStack. What to expect:

  • Typical duration: 10–15 business days from submission to completion for most standard ports. Larger orders or ports with missing details can take longer.
  • Requested vs. confirmed date: The date you pick on the port order is a request, not a guarantee. Your current carrier (the "losing carrier") may come back with a different date. We'll communicate the confirmed date as soon as we receive it, with enough lead time for you to prepare.
  • Rejections extend the timeline. If any detail on the order doesn't match the losing carrier's records — business name, service address, account number, authorized contact — they will reject the port. Each rejection resets the clock: you correct the information, we resubmit, and the carrier begins review again. Uploading a recent CSR or bill up front is the single best way to avoid this.

Tracking Progress​

Once submitted, the port order detail page shows the current status timeline. You'll be notified when the carrier provides updates. No action is needed while the carrier works on it unless the carrier rejects the order.

Changing the Port Date​

For an order that is Submitted or Scheduled, use Change Port Date on the order detail page to request a new date and time. The time is in the timezone the order was placed in, which the dialog shows next to the time. It stays the same even if the account's timezone has changed since. The order keeps its current status, and the carrier may reject the requested date.

Handling Rejections​

If a carrier rejects the port order — whether while it is working on the order or right away at submission, as when the billing phone number belongs to a different carrier than the numbers being ported:

  1. The order is marked Rejected, with a rejection reason (e.g., address mismatch, invalid account number).
  2. Click Edit & Resubmit to correct the information.
  3. Work through the steps as you would a draft. Each step saves as you go and the order stays Rejected — nothing reaches the carrier until you resubmit at the end, so you can correct several things across as many sittings as you need.
  4. Resubmit the order from the final step.

The rejection reason stays on the order while you edit, so you can keep referring to it, and it clears once the carrier accepts the corrected order.

You can correct the account number or PIN on a rejected order, and you can remove the PIN. Removing it is the fix when the carrier rejects a PIN the losing carrier never required: clear the field and resubmit, and the carrier is asked to remove it too. An account number can be corrected but not removed once the order has been submitted; to drop it, cancel the order and create a new one.

Whether you re-sign​

It depends on what you changed:

  • Changed the numbers, the billing phone number, the business name, the service address, the account number or PIN, or the authorized contact — you'll be asked to sign again. Those details appear on the authorization document the carrier relies on, so your earlier signature no longer matches the order.
  • Changed only the requested date or time — no new signature. The date isn't part of what you authorized, so the order goes straight back to the carrier. This is the common case when a port is rejected for a date that has since passed.

Discarding a Draft​

A port order started by mistake — or set up to walk someone through the process — can be thrown away while it is still a draft. Open the order and click Discard Draft at the bottom of the form, then confirm.

Nothing has been sent to your current carrier at this point, so there is no transfer to call off. The draft disappears from your phone number list, and any numbers it was holding are released — including the count they took against the account's phone number limit. A discarded draft cannot be resumed; starting over means creating a new port order.

An order you have already approved shows Edit Port Order instead. Changing the numbers, the billing phone number, the business name, the service address, the account number or PIN, or the authorized contact returns it to draft (the approval is cleared, so you would sign again), and you can discard it from there. Changing only the requested date or time keeps the approval, so the order stays approved. Once an order has gone to the carrier, the way out is Cancel Port Order rather than a discard — see below.

Cancelling a Submitted Order​

For an order the carrier already holds — Submitted, Scheduled, or Rejected — Cancel Port Order on the order detail page recalls it from the carrier. Confirm when prompted, since the order cannot be un-cancelled and the numbers are released. If you only need a different transfer date, use Change Port Date instead.

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