As we promised in our last blog, this month we’re attacking port rejections: why they happen and best practices to help prevent them.

At Fibernetics, we keep working to improve our Wholesale Partner Portal to make porting your customers’ numbers quick and easy. Plus, our LNP team is always here to assist. We review every port request coming through our portal before passing them on to the carrier. However, despite our best efforts to have your ports go through without a hitch, port rejections will always be a reality. We know how frustrating they can be. So, if you’re wondering why your port was rejected, and what you can do about it, read on.

Top Reasons for Ports Rejections

ADDRESS MISMATCH: The address provided for the number being ported does not match the service address on the customer’s account.

NAME MISMATCH: This rejection generally only happens with business number ports. The business name on the porting request must exactly match the name on the account.

MISSING RESELLER: ILECs (Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers – typically own the infrastructure) and CLECs (Competitive Local Exchange Carriers – establish local network interconnection with the ILECs) both sell numbers to Resellers. If the number being ported has been provided by a Reseller, the Reseller must be listed on the port request in the Reseller Name field.

For any clarification on ILECs vs CLECs vs Resellers just ask our amazing porting team. We provide you with as much information as possible via our service availability tools but, let’s be honest….it’s complicated. We are here to help!

PENDING ORDER: In most cases, “Pending Order” means there is already another change to the customer’s account in progress. It could be an address change, service change, or perhaps the customer has already issued a disconnect request on the service. It is always best to advise your customers to close their account AFTER the port has been completed.

TN NOT ACTIVE (TN = Telephone Number): The number is out of service and cannot be ported. This is usually because the current provider has suspended the account, or the customer has cancelled their number.

ACCOUNT SUSPENDED: Accounts are usually suspended for non-payment.

MRA (MORE RECENT AUTHORIZATION): This typically means that a more recent request for service has come into the losing carrier. In most cases this means the customer may have decided to go with another provider or decided to stay with their current provider.

STRANDED SERVICES: This is arguably the most frustrating rejection reason as it will require a bit of detective work on your part to find out why it happened and how to fix it. It frequently happens with business numbers that have older services, hunt groups, or traditional, fixed circuits where the customer doesn’t always know all the numbers associated with their account. A Stranded Services rejection specifically means that if the main number (typically referred to as the PILOT or BTN) is being ported, any additional lines or reserved numbers associated with that account will be stranded. The number cannot be ported until all the associated numbers on that account are accounted for and direction for each phone number, as well as the circuit, is outlined on the order (ie, port, disconnect).

What About Mobile Order Rejections?

Mobile orders have different rules from landlines. The most frequent rejections are due to “incorrect or missing account numbers”, or “no response to authorization SMS”. Here are our best tips for avoiding mobile order rejections:

ACCOUNT NUMBER IS REQUIRED: Account numbers are always required on mobile orders so get a copy of your customer’s invoice. Ensure that information is provided in your port request. Our system will require it.

IMEI REQUIRED: On the rare occasion that your client does not receive invoices but is using a “pay as you go phone”, they will need to provide you with the IMEI (the International Mobile Equipment Identity number). This number is specific to each phone and is found on the back of the battery cover.

2FA NOT AUTHORIZED/NO RESPONSE TO AUTHORIZATION SMS: Due to the influx of fraudulent activity on mobile porting, the mobile carriers implemented a ruling that customers must confirm via text that they have requested to port out their number. The customer has 90 minutes from the time they receive the text to confirm the porting, otherwise the port request is cancelled. This is for your customer’s safety and they must follow this rule in order to port their number.

Fibernetics has implemented a process to streamline mobile orders and reduce rejections rates.  Ask us how we can ensure your mobile orders are processed with no issue.

How Can I Prevent My Port From Being Rejected?

The best defence is a good offense. While you won’t prevent every rejection, you can increase your chances of a hassle-free port, by following these steps:

To reduce the chances of a customer’s residential number port being rejected:

  1. Obtain a copy of your customer’s latest invoice to get the correct name and address.
  2. Confirm that the address on the invoice is the service address for the phone number being ported. In the event, for example, that a daughter is paying her mother’s phone bill, the billing address (the daughter’s address on the invoice) will be different from the service address (the mother’s address). Your port request must contain the service address.
  3. Confirm with the customer that the account is active, in good standing, and that they have not recently submitted any other requests (such as an address change) to their current provider.

To reduce the chances of a customer’s business number port being rejected:

  1. Get a copy of your customer’s latest invoice and their equipment record. A customer can usually request a copy of their equipment record or request an RFI (Request of Information) for free. Either one will provide you with all the information you need. If you have difficulty obtaining either of these records, please reach out to the Fibernetics LNP team to assist.
  2. Confirm that the address on the invoice is the service address. Your port request must include the service address and you must enter the address exactly as it appears on the invoice. You can also include the billing address in the remarks section so that the losing carrier has both addresses.
  3. Check the equipment record or RFI and provide direction for every number listed for the account being ported (more information is provided in the Stranded Services section above).
  4. Provide a copy of the customer’s invoice with your port request. This will help the LNP team identify any information which may have been overlooked, such as a Reseller name.

Remember: Not All Providers Are Created Equal

We hope this article helps you in your quest for a rejection-free port. However, since every provider has their own specific porting processes, you’ll likely get rejections that fall outside the scope of those mentioned here. When that happens, or when you have any questions regarding a port or port rejection, reach out the LNP team – we’ll help you navigate the different policies of each carrier and get your ports done.