2024-09-14 04:27:53
If you change your mobile phone plan, you can keep your old number. But how does this number portability actually work? You can find the answer here.
If you switch to another mobile phone provider, you don’t necessarily have to get a new phone number. Nowadays, providers are obliged to allow you to keep your existing number – and since December 2021, this has even been free of charge. But how does this number portability actually work? We’ll explain.
The Telecommunications Act stipulates that everyone can take their phone number with them when they change mobile phone provider. You can start the number porting process directly with the new provider and it’s not as difficult as you might think.
Providers usually ask the customer whether they want to keep their phone number from a previous tariff when the contract is signed. Corresponding data fields can also be found in common online forms for concluding a new mobile phone contract or prepaid tariff.
However, it is important that your personal details such as name, address and date of birth match your old contract details, otherwise there may be problems transferring the number.
If you have applied to transfer your phone number, the rest will happen automatically. Your new mobile phone provider will take care of everything else. Since the preparatory work for porting your number can take several weeks, you should arrange the tariff change as early as possible – at least 14 days before the end of the contract is recommended.
It is also advisable to choose the day on which your old contract expires as the start date for the new tariff. This will allow for a seamless change. The number can then be ported within a few hours on the due date. This means you can be reached again quickly on your phone number.
It is possible to transfer your phone number earlier, but this will not end your old contract early, meaning you will temporarily be paying for two tariffs. In this case, your current mobile phone provider will assign you a new number so that you can continue to use your old contract until the end of the term.
If your phone number is linked to an existing prepaid plan, you must submit a waiver to your old provider so that they can release the number. This is a formal letter in which you confirm that you want to keep your phone number and agree to forego the services of your existing plan from the cancellation date. You can get a template for such a letter from your new mobile phone provider.
Please note that if you have an existing prepaid plan, your remaining credit will expire once the number porting is complete. So remember to use up the credit beforehand if you want to avoid losing it.