The short answer
Porting moves an existing phone number from the copper carrier to the replacement provider so alarm panels, monitoring centers, and printed labels stay accurate. A clean single-site port typically completes in two to four weeks; errors on the customer service record are the most common cause of delay.
What you need to start
- A recent full copy of the carrier invoice, not a summary page
- The customer service record (CSR) showing the exact account name and service address
- A signed letter of authorization for the numbers being ported
- A list of numbers with what each one serves
Why ports get rejected
Every one of these is fixable, and every one costs a week. Collecting the CSR up front is the single highest-value step in the whole project.
- Account name on the LOA does not match the CSR character for character
- Service address differs from the billing address
- A pending order or account freeze on the losing carrier
- Numbers listed that are actually sub-accounts or hunt group members
- The account has a PIN the customer does not know
Typical timeline
| Stage | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| Line audit and CSR collection | 3–7 days |
| LOA signature and port submission | 1–2 days |
| Losing carrier response (FOC date) | 3–10 business days |
| Hardware ship and install | Parallel, 3–5 days |
| Cutover and testing | Same day as FOC |
| Copper disconnect | After verified testing |
Cutover day
Numbers activate on the firm order commitment date. The box is already installed and tested on temporary numbers, so cutover is a configuration change rather than a truck roll. Alarm and elevator lines are tested end to end with the monitoring center on test before the copper is released.
Last updated 2026-08-20.